What Happens in Paradise

“‘Also, there were chickens in the dream,’ Irene says to Cash. ‘A rooster and two hens.’ Cash clears his throat. ‘Well, yeah.’ Well, yeah? Then Irene gets it: Russ is the rooster, Irene and Rosie the two hens.”

In the opening chapter, Irene’s dream establishes the inner turmoil she continues to feel over the discovery of Russ’s infidelity and secret life in the series’ opening novel, Winter in Paradise. Hilderbrand makes the symbolism of the dream—the rooster and two hens—explicit through Irene’s point of view, positioning them as representative of Russ’s relationships with his wife and his mistress.

“Ayers extracts the journals like she’s unearthing the bones of ancient peoples on an archaeological dig. She reads from the one on top.”

Here, Hilderbrand’s simile frames Rosie’s journals as historical artifacts that contain the hidden, subjective truth of the past. The comparison to an “archaeological dig” emphasizes the meticulous and revelatory nature of Ayers’s task—excavating the truth that both Rosie and Russ kept deeply hidden, even from those they loved. Rosie’s journal functions as a key symbol in the story, introducing the novel’s thematic interest in The Tension Between Objective Fact and Emotional Reality.

“‘Yes, honey,’ Irene says. ‘It’s fine. The villa is just sitting there empty. Someone should use it. Let me buy your plane ticket and give you some money to get started.’ Cash wants to tell her she doesn’t have to—he’s too old to be taking handouts from his mother—but the fact is, he’s flat broke. Broker than broke.”

Here, Hilderbrand uses the combination of dialogue and inner monologue to reveal a complex family dynamic in which Irene’s maternal support clashes with Cash’s desire for independence and self-made success. The passage uses situational irony: Cash seeks independence by moving into a home that symbolizes his father’s deception and accepting money that is not truly theirs.