What Happens in Paradise

“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.

“‘I know it’s a gamble,’ Kyle says. ‘But I’m sixty-four years old and life gave me another chance to be happy. Only an idiot would say no to that out of fear.’”

Huck’s conversation with his client catalyzes his impulsive decision to offer Irene a job. Kyle’s philosophical statement about seizing a “second chance” provides the external validation he needs to act on his growing feelings for Irene. Huck’s internal conflict between ignoring and acting on his feelings—the first serious romantic interest he’s felt since the death of his wife—underscores the novel’s thematic exploration of The Challenges of Choosing to Love Again After Heartbreak.

“So my brilliant-best-friend mind now wonders why you would even stay in Houston. With Anna leaving, you’re free to go wherever you want.”

Baker’s conversation with his best friend, Ellen, acts as a turning point in his arc in which he truly considers the dissolution of his old life and the possibility of a new one. Ellen’s words frame his situation as a liberation, rather than a loss, linking his ex-wife’s departure with his freedom to pursue a different future. This external perspective shifts Baker’s focus from the collapse of his marriage to the opportunity to reconstruct his identity elsewhere, specifically in St. John with Ayers.

“‘Yes,’ Russell said coolly. ‘I’m going to stop you. Rosie, are you heading home? Can I escort you to your car?’”

This quote, from Rosie’s journal, establishes her initial impression of Russ, framing him as a protector and a chivalrous hero. This initial perception forms the foundation of her love for him, providing emotional context for the events that led to their affair and untimely deaths.

“It’s entirely possible that Irene had been standing at her workspace in the kitchen poring over four choices of wallpaper for the third upstairs bath and Russ had come to her and said, Honey, I have a lover in the Virgin Islands and I’ve fathered a daughter, and Irene had said, That’s great, honey. What Russ did was wrong. But Irene is not blameless.”

This internal monologue marks a critical turning point in Irene’s character arc, as she moves from victimhood to self-implication. Through hyperbole, she imagines an absurd scenario to confront the painful truth of her own emotional neglect in her marriage. Her declaration that she “is not blameless” reveals a newfound self-awareness that propels her growth and moves her toward forgiveness.

“They won’t hate him, he realizes. They know his heart is pure, that he’s as bewildered as they are, maybe more so. He’s a good guy. He doesn’t know a thing about having a ‘little sister’—both the phrase and the notion are completely foreign to him—but he wants to learn. He wants some good to come out of the choices Russ made. Their relationship—his and Maia’s—can be part of that good.”

After Ayers tasks him with protecting Maia, Cash’s internal reflection demonstrates a shift from self-interest to a sense of responsibility for his newfound family. Cash’s resolution to find “some good to come out of the choices Russ made” signifies his active decision to build a new, positive connection from the wreckage of his father’s deception.

“‘Paulette and Doug Vickers and the little boy are gone,’ Rupert says. ‘Rumor has it they left last night on the car barge.’ ‘Left as in…’ ‘Left as in left,’ Rupert says.”

This brief exchange escalates the novel’s external conflict by confirming the vastness of the conspiracy surrounding Russ. The stark, repetitive dialogue—“Left as in left”—creates a sense of finality and foreboding, underscoring the seriousness of the situation. Paulette and Doug’s arrest signals the concrete consequences of Todd and Russ’s criminal enterprise, foreshadowing the ongoing fallout for Irene, Cash, and Baker in the novel’s cliffhanger ending.

“Irene could snap fishing line with her teeth. She could fillet a bass or a perch so expertly that there were no bones to worry about when it came off the charcoal grill that evening at dinner. Baker had forgotten that his mother liked to fish, but even now that he remembers, he wonders if this is really what she wants to do for a living.”

Hilderbrand uses Baker and Cash’s childhood memory of Irene to reveal a forgotten dimension of her character—specifically, a rugged connection to nature. This detailed characterization subverts the image of Irene as a domestic editor obsessed with home decor, foreshadowing her capacity to adapt to a new, physically demanding life.

“At one point I said to Russ, ‘I hope your wife knows how lucky she is to have you.’ Russ laughed. ‘I doubt she would describe herself that way. […] [I]n Irene’s eyes, I’m a day late and a dollar short in nearly everything I do. Her main attitude toward me is weary disappointment. Which kind of kills the magic.’”

Rosie’s journal provides Russ’s justification for his infidelity, creating an image of his marriage that conflicts with what Irene shares in her narrative. His description of Irene’s “weary disappointment” introduces a counter-narrative, suggesting that, from his perspective, their relationship was emotionally hollow long before his affair. By presenting Russ’s perspective, the text continues to interrogate the externally perfect facade of the Steele family’s life in Iowa City.

“Bluebeard was the yacht’s name. I hadn’t noticed that before. I saw Todd Croft see me; his head tilted and his smile grew wider, and I disappeared into the shadows of the room, cursing myself.”

The name of Russ’s yacht is a literary allusion to the folktale of Bluebeard, a wealthy man who murders his wives. This symbolic detail casts a sinister shadow over Russ and his business dealings, foreshadowing violence and betrayal. Todd Croft’s knowing smile transforms him into an ominous observer, implying his awareness and complicity in the affair and linking the personal indiscretion to a larger, more dangerous criminal world.

“It’s bizarre that the place her husband conducted his wild and massive deception has become her refuge.”

This quote establishes a central paradox for Irene’s character arc. The juxtaposition of “deception” and “refuge” emphasizes that Irene isn’t running from her husband’s betrayal but is instead drawn toward its source to find answers. Her ability to feel anticipation and joy in this location signals a subconscious decision to confront the truth, underscoring her initial steps toward reconstructing her identity.

“But maybe there are secrets, like soft spots on a seemingly perfect apple. Maybe Donna is having an affair with the kids’ swim coach; maybe Dave is a degenerate gambler who has lost the college savings […] It feels like the whole world is hiding something.”

Observing the seemingly ideal Dressler family, Ayers projects her newfound cynicism onto them, pointing to her ongoing grief over Rosie’s secrets and her pain over Mick’s betrayal. The simile comparing secrets to “soft spots on a seemingly perfect apple” points to the hidden corruption she now suspects is everywhere.

“Don’t use me as a substitute for Ayers.”

Tilda’s directness and confidence about what she wants directly contrast with Cash’s aimlessness and uncertainty about his future. Her sharp emotional intelligence establishes her as a character who refuses to be an unwitting player in someone else’s drama. The dialogue serves as a crucial point of characterization, forcing Cash to confront his lingering feelings for Ayers.

“[H]e realized he was in serious danger of falling in love with the woman. When Huck looked at Irene, he could see the future. That could be her, fifteen years from now, with Maia’s child.”

Huck's fantasy of a future with Irene shifts his relationship with her from one of friendship born of shared grief to potential romance. The imagery of Irene with a grandchild allows Huck to envision a future that rebuilds a family from the wreckage of the affair.

“Standing in the strobe-lit school gym surrounded by people he has known for years […] Baker has a hard time believing that he was in Ayers’s apartment only two days earlier. He has switched worlds. Which one of them is real?”

This passage captures Baker’s profound sense of dislocation as he stands physically in his old life while his emotional focus is on his new one. The contrast between the two settings—the “strobe-lit school gym” versus the intimacy of Ayers’s apartment—highlights his internal conflict over which identity is authentic.

“Do you understand me, Rosie? Never to be seen again. You see this man again, I phone the wife. Irene Steele from Iowa City. I called Information. I have the number.”

Hilderbrand uses the device of Rosie’s journal to answer the questions left open in the previous novel in the series. For example, this entry explains the eight-year separation between Rosie and Russ that caused everyone on the island to believe that Maia’s father and the “Invisible Man” were two different people. This moment underscores the external forces that controlled and complicated Rosie’s choices, adding a layer of tragedy to her hidden life.

“As Irene stands under the canvas Bimini with Huck, she catches sight of Niles kneeling on the bow. His arms are open, his head back. He’s embracing the earth and all of her aspects. It’s just rain, he seems to be saying. I will survive it.”

During a difficult charter, Irene observes a boy, Niles, relishing a downpour. The image of Niles in the storm serves as a projection of Irene’s own journey, symbolizing a newfound capacity to face adversity without fear. The scene reframes a potentially destructive force as a survivable, even cleansing, experience.

“A public proposal is never a good idea, Ayers thinks. Or is it? She can’t say no. […] Ayers realizes that a good number of these people must have been in on it. Nobody knows that Ayers and Mick broke up and that Ayers embarked on a new relationship. They’re all caught up in the theatrics.”

During Mick’s marriage proposal, Ayers’s inner monologue reveals the disconnect between the joyful public spectacle and her private emotional turmoil. Ayers’s pressured acceptance and the photo Cash sends to Baker escalate the dramatic tension of the plot.

“Cash becomes so light-headed thinking about this that they get all the way to Jumbie Bay before he realizes that Maia was lying to him. Huck’s charter didn’t run late. Huck didn’t have a charter today. Irene told Cash that this morning.”

Here, Hilderbrand’s narrative structure, delaying Cash’s realization with the phrase “before he realizes,” builds tension and emphasizes the moment’s significance, foreshadowing the fallout of his decision to leave her alone. This passage marks a turning point in Cash’s development, moving him from a passive observer to a responsible protector within the newly forming family unit.

“‘How about you and your family stay away from my granddaughter?’ Huck says. […] ‘She’s mine, Irene. Not yours, not Cash’s—mine. Goodbye.’”

In a panicked phone call, Huck repeats the possessive pronoun “mine” with escalating intensity, revealing his deep-seated fear of being displaced as Maia’s sole guardian. His dialogue defines the boundary he feels is being threatened, emphasizing the challenges of the unconventional and still evolving familial dynamics at play.

“I’m going to build a life, month by month, year by year, and I want you to be in that life. […] I will be true and steadfast and devoted and crazily in love with you until the day I die. I will never have any hiccups. Ever.”

On the phone with Ayers, Baker counters her story about her parents’ marriage surviving a “hiccup” of infidelity, contrasting Mick’s unreliability with the promise of his unconditional devotion. The specific repudiation of “hiccups” marks his transformation into an active agent pursuing a new future.

“I was waiting tables at La Tapa tonight when Tilda told me there was a one-top, a man, who had asked for me specifically. […] In the split second before he spoke, it clicked: Todd Croft.”

Rosie’s journal recounts a rare, in-person confrontation with Todd Croft, a figure who remains almost entirely unseen throughout the Paradise trilogy. Todd Croft’s menacing presence foreshadows the novel’s final reveal of his arrest and Russ’s guilt as a co-conspirator.