42 pages • 1-hour read
We Were Never Here
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Symbols & Motifs
Secret Language
Early on in their friendship, during their college years, Kristen and Emily invented a secret coded language that only they share. The code has no one-to-one system by which certain letters or numbers equal other letters or numbers; instead, the code operates on the assumption that each woman will be able to detect patterns the other woman creates in a written message. The language also draws on the idea that each woman knows the other so well that they will be able to notice words or phrases that the other would never usually say, and therefore realize that those words or phrases are essential to unlocking the code.
On one level, this code demonstrates the friends‘ closeness. Their friendship has a childlike quality, a desire for exclusivity and an intimate circle no one else can enter. When the reader learns that Kristen is probably somehow trying to use Emily as a replacement for her childhood best friend, Jamie, the friendship’s intensity becomes even more understandable.
On another level, the code demonstrates that Kristen and Emily have uncannily similar thought processes. The similarity in thinking patterns that the code sometimes requires strains the boundaries of verisimilitude; it seems almost impossible, in other words, that one friend could pick up on the subtle clues that the other friend leaves in the code. By using the code to show that the two friends practically share a brain, Bartz leaves open the possibility that Emily will emulate Kristen by the end of the novel. The author lays the groundwork for the kind of intense similarity that might suggest the novel’s final lines indicate that Emily is the new Kristen, not a more decent and peaceful person at all.
Danger of Violence Against Women
Throughout the book, Emily monitors her surroundings for danger continuously. At seemingly innocuous moments, such as leaving Aaron’s house or Nana and Bill’s house and walking to her car, she notices the movements of nearby men and wonders if they carry violent intent. In those moments, she takes stock of what she is wearing, wondering if it will attract unwanted attention. Most women engage in these sorts of monitoring behaviors, but Emily is especially aware as her own assault happened a mere year ago and Kristen’s assault is still fresh.
This thread running throughout the novel lends a gravity to what might otherwise be categorized as a sensationalized tale of obsession run amok. Most women will never be stalked and nearly murdered by their decade-long best friend, but most will experience fear about the possibility of sexual/intimate partner violence; many will even experience that violence. Emily’s experiences with violence from her father, ex-boyfriend, and Sebastian make her less able to identify Kristen as a possible threat; she thinks of men, not women, as the problem. Kristen herself had to learn about the danger of sexual assault at a young age when her father molested her best friend, and possibly her as well. (Emily never conclusively learns this latter point.) Moreover, Emily realizes that the lasting trauma from her assault will be with her for years, no matter what happens with the Paolo investigation. Even if she escapes all legal culpability, she will still have years of therapy and work ahead before she can be in public without constantly fearing for her safety.
Unjust Justice Systems
In We Were Never Here, a variety of characters register implicit or explicit doubts that justice systems—both in America and abroad—will work as intended. Without this doubt, there would be no story; Emily and Kristen cover up their involvement in two deaths because they doubt that law enforcement will believe their legitimate claims of self-defense (or, at least, legitimate as far as Emily knows). They also fear that media bias will impact their fates if the story gets out, influencing potential prosecutors or jury members by sensationalizing their story.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Kristen thinks the injustice of various countries’ justice systems will work in their favor. They are young, attractive white women, she points out, and therefore above most people’s suspicions when a backpacker goes missing. Similarly, when Emily learns that Paolo comes from a wealthy family, she is terrified because she knows that wealthy people have privileged access to legal intervention and can afford rarified investigatory resources. Kristen and Emily are both keenly aware that dozens of factors could impact their situation, even if those factors should have nothing to do with the quality of justice a person receives from the legal establishment.
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