48 pages • 1-hour read
What Happens in Paradise
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.
The Tension Between Objective Fact and Emotional Reality
In What Happens in Paradise, Hilderbrand explores the gap between the objective facts of Russ’s infidelity, deception, and criminal activity, and the private, emotional reality of his love for Rosie and Maia, and his internal moral struggle with his professional life. Throughout Hilderbrand’s series, Irene, her sons, Ayers, Maia, and Huck all grapple with the disconnect between their love for and experience of Russ and Rosie as people and their morally questionable actions and criminal complicity. The biggest obstacle to bridging this gap is that Russ and Rosie are dead and no longer able to explain themselves. Through the device of Rosie’s private journals, Hilderbrand gives voice to Rosie’s side of the story, revealing the private history of their romance and the moral angst they both suffered over the secrecy of their affair and the illegality of Russ’s business dealings.
In this novel, Irene’s arc sees her moving from avoidance of Russ’s death and criminal enterprises to an acceptance of the complex reality of life and relationships, integrating Russ’s love and care with his flaws and behavior. What Happens in Paradise picks up from the previous novel’s cliffhanger ending, in which Agent Vasco reveals that the FBI suspects foul play in Russ and Rosie’s death, suggesting that Russ’s business involved illegal activity. The opening chapter finds Irene in denial, refusing to tell anyone in Iowa City that Russ is dead. Overwhelmed by trying to reconcile the man she thought she knew with this international money-launderer with a second family, Irene “quiets her conscience by telling herself it’s her own private business” (10), emphasizing the divide between public and private truth. However, Irene also notes that keeping the secret “feels like a huge deception, as though [she’s] stuffed Russ’s corpse into one of the house’s nineteen closets and now it’s starting to stink” (10), indicating that, eventually, Irene will need to confront both the public and private truths of Russ’s life to move forward.
In Winter in Paradise, Russ and Rosie’s relationship remains entirely hidden, the details known only to them, as evidenced by Russ’s island nickname, the “Invisible Man.” The total secrecy surrounding their relationship reinforces the disconnect between the Steele family’s experience of Russ as a husband and father and the fact of his secret life. In What Happens in Paradise, Rosie’s journals reveal the hidden emotional toll of her relationship with Russ, whom she refers to only as “R” in her journal, underscoring his invisibility. Her entries expose the moral compromises and emotional complexity behind their secret life, while also painting a picture of the deep love they shared.
Rosie’s journal entries reveal Russ’s perspective on his marriage, which is distinctly different from Irene’s, nuancing the narrative’s portrayal of his affair. When Russ and Rosie first meet, Russ tells her, “I can tell [Irene] thinks I’m a failure […] and most days I’m pretty sure she thinks about leaving me” (82). Later, he tells Rosie that it doesn’t matter to Irene what he does for a living, claiming “[s]he couldn’t care less […] All she care[s] about [is] the money” (309). The fact that Russ’s account of his marriage is filtered through Rosie’s perspective adds a layer of subjectivity to the truth the novel presents. The truth, Hilderbrand suggests, is “messy, complicated, and unfair” (312) just like Rosie’s view of love. By presenting these layered and conflicting perspectives, Hilderbrand encourages the reader to integrate both objective fact and emotional reality to embrace complex and nuanced truth.
The Challenges of Choosing to Love Again After Heartbreak
What Happens in Paradise explores the ways the characters’ attempts to forge new romantic bonds are complicated by past experiences of betrayal. Notably, the trilogy itself is premised on a betrayal—the fallout of Russ’s infidelity and Irene’s discovery of his second family. In this second novel, two of the point-of-view characters—Irene and Ayers—find themselves struggling with the complications of past betrayal as they pursue new romantic relationships, foregrounding the challenges of falling in love again after heartbreak.
The love triangle dynamic Hilderbrand establishes between Ayers, Baker, and Mick emphasizes the value of shared history and the work and the difficulty of leaving it behind to build a new connection from scratch. Ayers still feels connected to Mick by their shared history. Their intimate knowledge of each other gives them a comfort and shorthand that Ayers doesn’t yet have with Baker. When Mick makes his case to get back together with Ayers, he recites a long, detailed list of her favorite things—smoothie flavors, food orders, music preferences—demonstrating his knowledge of her. He asks Ayers, “Does [Baker] know you’re ticklish right here?” (267), emphasizing the emotional and physical intimacy they’ve achieved over time. Ayers notes that “Mick is the person Ayers tells things, even the small, inconsequential things, because he’s the one who has shared her history. He has context. If she starts something new with Baker, she would have to go back to square one” (269). Across the novel, Ayers continues to weigh the importance of a shared history marred by betrayal against a new, largely unexplored love.
Like Ayers, Irene wrestles with the risk of embracing the unknown when it comes to love. Her inner conflict centers her ongoing grief over Russ and her evolving romantic feelings for Huck, leaving her reticent to pursue a relationship that makes her happy. Irene’s feelings for Huck act as a balm to the hurt of Russ’s betrayal. Her decision to return to St. John and work with Huck on his boat is cemented by her discovery of a stash of romantic postcards Rosie wrote to Russ. Irene notes that she’d “like to burn them […] nothing would give her greater satisfaction than watching Rosie’s declarations of love for Russ curl, blacken, and go up in smoke” (107). Instead, Irene “picks up the landline and dials, and Huck answers on the first ring” (108). As their connection becomes more intense, Irene pulls back out of fear, noting that “it’s too soon” and she “needs more time” (292). However, even as she’s pulling back, she finds herself asserting what she knows she wants, telling Huck, “I want you to promise you won’t give up on me” (292). The unconditional trust and support that Irene finds in Huck directly contrasts with Mick’s inability to remain trustworthy for Ayers.
By the novel’s conclusion, Irene’s romance with Huck allows her to begin to see Russ’s actions as part of the complex web of people and events that make up her life, each of which has had a role in creating the present moment. The night of her first kiss with Huck, Irene notes that “[t]he world is a strange and mysterious place […] How is it possible that Russ’s web of deceit and his secret second life led Irene here?” (261). This perspective allows her to begin to heal from the pain of Russ’s infidelity and finally take action to pursue a future with Huck despite the external chaos of the FBI’s investigation into Russ and Rosie.
Everyday Rituals as Catalysts for Human Connection
Hilderbrand’s emphasis on the everyday details of life grounds the novel in the experience of St. John as a home and community rather than a vacation destination for tourists. This second installment of the Paradise series foregrounds Irene, Cash, and Baker’s attempts to build new lives on the island in contrast to the previous novel, in which their short visit positioned them as tourists and outsiders. Baker’s decision to relocate to St. John with his son, Floyd, signifies the creation of a new family structure independent of his ex-wife and his past life. Upon arrival, his focus is on the mundane logistics of establishing a life—finding a job and a school for Floyd. The rote task of enrolling Floyd in Maia’s school immediately deepens the sense of connection between Maia and the Steeles. When Maia introduces Floyd to the school’s head teacher, she refers to him as her “sort of nephew,” her first public acknowledgement of their familial bond.
Cash’s relationship with Tilda begins through a series of small, everyday encounters—a ride home, random chance meetings, and a shared dinner—all things they do every day, but which take on new meaning in the context of their growing attraction. During their first meal together, “Tilda gets the grilled lobster, which she says is the best on the island, and Cash gets the guava pork ribs, and when their food comes, they push their plates together and share” (200). The everyday ritual of a meal facilitates their growing intimacy. Similarly, Irene’s relationship with Huck deepens through the everyday rituals of maintaining his boat, sharing meals, and finishing together. The mundane tasks of Huck’s life take on new importance when he does them with Irene: “After their charter […] Huck and Irene clean the boat […] He wants to tell her how different work was this week compared to every other week of the past six years since LeeAnn died, but he finds a lump in his throat” (209). Huck’s nickname for her, “Angler Cupcake,” references a story she tells him about fishing as a child—a memory she shares organically when they fish together for the first time.
As the novel progresses, Rosie’s journal entries chronicle a growing tension over the fact that the isolation and secrecy of Russ’s double life deny them the comfort and security of a shared everyday existence. During Rosie and Russ’s climactic confrontation, Rosie argues that her St. John community “aren't fictional characters from a book [she’s] reading or a show [she’s] watching, [they] are [her] friends. [Russ doesn’t] know them because [he] can’t meet anyone in [her] life, but they’re real to [Rosie], they’re important to [her]” (314). Rosie’s ultimatum that Russ give her an engagement ring by the new year is premised on her desire to share all parts of her life with the person she loves—the seemingly insignificant, everyday rituals and moments most of all. As Rosie leaves for the helicopter trip with Russ, she writes that she “caught [Maia’s] eye and mouthed, I love you. And [she] closed the door” (318). Rosie’s final moment with her daughter, Maia, underscores the importance of the quiet, everyday rituals that make up a life.
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