67 pages • 2 hours read
Emily HenryBeach Read
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Fairy Princess
The regular references to January as a fairy princess symbolize her romantic nature. When the term is introduced, the reader gets a flashback to Gus asking Shadi about January. At the time, Gus has only been able to observe January and read her consistently positive stories in their workshop classes. Gus remarks that January “acted like a fairy princess who’d been raised by woodland creatures” (45).
January regularly refers to this observation by Gus as the book progresses. At the beginning of the book, when January feels that she’s lost hope in love, Gus remarks that January is different now, to which she replies, “You mean I’m not a fairy princess anymore” (74). January herself relates the fairy princess title to her inner romantic nature and acknowledges to Gus that she’s lacking that piece of herself. However, January hasn’t fully accepted the title and feels that Gus calling her a fairy princess was his way of making fun of her romantic outlook, which she becomes more protective of throughout the book. When Gus toasts to happy endings, January becomes upset, thinking “he was calling me a fairy princess all over again, laughing to himself about how naive and silly my worldview was” (192).
As January begins to believe in love again, she begins to accept the title of fairy princess, understanding that it was never a way to condescend her romantic nature, but simply a way to characterize it, acknowledging, “No wonder I’d seemed like a fairy princess to Gus, skipping through life with my glittery shoes and deep trust in the universe” (236). She knows her worldview is not shared by everyone and that her optimism sometimes feels unrealistic, but she also sees that this trait is part of who she is.
The Car
In the first half of the book, the car is a frequent motif, acting as a device to force January and Gus to hold conversations, thus facilitating their closeness. It starts when Gus coaxes January into the car, insisting on giving her a ride because she is too drunk to drive home and the walk is too far. Despite their banter, January already feels herself letting her guard down to Gus during this first car ride, observing that “the car [felt] too small, him a little too close” (61).
Every time January and Gus get in the car together, they reveal more about themselves to one another. During their many car trips, January reveals that she isn’t writing, that her parents met at a carnival, and that her dad had an affair. Gus reveals that his dad was abusive, that he’s afraid of vomit, and that he broke up with his girlfriend the night he and January danced. Additionally, the car is where January makes many observations about Gus’s attractiveness, noting his biceps, sharp edges, and “Sexy, Evil stare” (75). Eventually, the car is where January and Gus have their first intimately physical moment, making out at the drive-in in the trunk of January’s Kia.
Once January and Gus break down enough walls, the car stops being necessary as a vehicle for their closeness, but their rides together continue throughout the book, taking them on research expeditions and dates.
The Cult
The cult, New Eden, symbolizes the dark side of life. It represents the inevitable negatives that life is bound to have. When Gus is helping January do research for her bleak literary fiction, he brings her to surviving cult members and family. January learning about the cult is also a way for her to learn about Gus’s own dark past. At first, January doesn’t understand why Gus subjects himself to “dark paths just for the sake of a story” (105). Dave’s story about escaping the cult with his mom reflects how Gus wishes his story had gone. Gus’s abusive dad kept him and his mom in darkness, though Gus dreamt of his mom whisking them away and escaping. Dave’s mom was able to accomplish that, rescuing Dave from the cult before it burned to the ground.
Despite bringing January on interviews, Gus tries to shield January from the darkness when they visit the site of New Eden. While there, January begins to understand why Gus pursues answers in dark places, observing, “Maybe he thought someone had to bear witness to the dark, or maybe he hoped that if he stared into the pitch-black long enough, his eyes would adjust and he’d see answers hiding in it” (276). Later, when January asks why Gus tried to keep her from the site, he tells her that he “never wanted you to see the world like I see it” (292). Gus worries that exposing January to the bad things in life will warp her romantic worldview, and he doesn’t want to see that change in her. When he tries to protect her from the cult, it’s because he wants to protect her from the darkness of the world.
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By Emily Henry
