Golden Girl

“Vivi is spooked. This song brings back such intense memories of high school that she feels if she turns her head, she’ll see Brett Caspian standing in the middle of Kingsley Road. She nearly pushes the skip button, but she does love the song, despite her complicated history with it, and it’s been so long since she’s heard it.”

Vivi listens to a song that reminds her of her high school boyfriend, Brett Caspian, shortly before she is killed. This is an instance of symbolic foreshadowing: The last memory Vivi has before she dies is of Brett; after her death, the last novel her readers receive is also about Brett, as Golden Girl is based on their high school romance.

“Vivi can’t miss taking Leo to college. And she has a grandchild on the way. […] Then there’s Carson, who seems to need a mother now more than ever. Vivi can’t leave her kids down there by themselves. They’re her kids. She’s their mother. Dying isn’t an option, sorry.”

As Vivi ascends to the “Beyond,” she thinks about how her children still need her. Vivi’s concern for her children frames the theme of Growing Up After Parental Loss in Adulthood. Her concern leads her to closely follow her children’s lives during her viewing window. Additionally, this passage outlines the specific challenges each of her children faces after her death: Leo eventually prepares for this milestone into adulthood without Vivi, Carson changes her life following Vivi’s motherly intervention, and Vivi ensures that her grandchild is protected from harm in a precarious moment.

“When his parents split, the Field and Oar Club membership went to Leo’s dad, and the board of governors decided not to let Vivi rejoin on her own. When Willa and Rip got married at the club, Vivi had pretended like everything was just fine but right before the dancing started, Leo’s girlfriend, Marissa, reported that she’d seen Vivi crying in the ladies’ room.”

The Field and Oar Club is a recurring Nantucket setting across several of Hilderbrand’s novels and epitomizes the class privileges that are present on the island. This passage also connects to the final memory Vivi revisits before she moves on from the “Beyond”: Willa’s wedding. In this instance, Marissa remembers it being a difficult occasion for Vivi; by the end of the book, though, when Vivi looks back on it, she can appreciate the happy memories and moments of joy the day gave her. This speaks to the theme of Introspection on Life’s Achievements and Regrets.

“At that moment, the text from Alexis came in. Vivi was dead. The police were questioning Cruz. An officer had seen Cruz run a stop sign and go speeding down Surfside Road. Oh my God, Marissa thought.”

In a chapter from Nantucket’s perspective, Hilderbrand offers a bird’s-eye-view of the goings on in the novel. She uses this perspective to slip in details that seem either innocuous or foreboding and later become important to the story. Alexis and Marissa’s connection, and Marissa’s reaction to Vivi’s death and Cruz being a suspect, take on significance later in the book when Marissa is revealed to be responsible for the hit-and-run.

“With Vivi’s father gone, Brett Caspian becomes everything to her. He’s her sword and shield, her security blanket, her therapist, her best friend. His love is her oxygen. She will do whatever she must in order to keep him.”

Vivi clings onto Brett harder than ever when she loses her father at 17, evidenced by comparing his love to oxygen that sustains her life. Amid her grief, Brett quickly takes on many roles, which she assigns here to professions, physical objects, and metaphorical roles. Vivi’s grief and desperation to hold onto this relationship is echoed in how Leo reconciles with Marissa or Carson continues to pursue Zach. By presenting these parallels, Vivi provides context for her younger self’s motivations, notably the choices she made in the wake of her grief.

“Did Falco actually see Cruz or was there some other Black kid driving a white Jeep? Did Falco notice Cruz primarily because he was Black? Was it easier for the Nantucket community to say that Cruz DeSantis did a bad thing because he was Black? The Chief will not lead a department where Black citizens are treated differently than white. He has learned, however, that racism is systemic. It’s often so deeply buried that you can’t even see it, but it’s there.”

Just as Hilderbrand touches upon class privilege, she also highlights systemic racism. Cruz being accused of killing Vivi despite being known in Nantucket for his honesty, integrity, and hardworking nature is suspicious, as the speaker calls out here. In this quote, Hilderbrand underscores that the world she creates is not entirely idyllic; despite being a “beach read,” her novels are set in the very real, white, and privileged community of Nantucket.

“Vivi stopped by so often because, Willa realized tearfully, the two of them had become friends. They’d emerged out of the dark, confusing tunnel-maze of mother-daughter relationships to discover that they liked each other and had fun hanging out.”

As Willa remembers how often Vivi used to stop by her house, she misses her mother deeply. Willa’s reflection on their relationship—particularly their ability to leave the “dark, confusing tunnel-maze” that used to characterize their interactions—underlines how she is a fully grown, responsible adult. The relationship she shared with Vivi was less one of need and dependence and more of true affection and connection; accordingly, the intervention Vivi makes in Willa’s life is different than how she affects her other two children’s lives. This speaks to the theme of Growing Up After Parental Loss in Adulthood.

“She hesitates. Giddiness bubbles up inside her; she’s a shaken can of seltzer about to spew. But no. It has to end. While it’s still a secret. They have done enough damage. Her mother is dead. Okay, she texts back. See you at midnight.”

Carson continues an affair with Zach after Vivi’s death, despite knowing she should stop, evidenced by the declarative statement, “It has to end.” Despite this, the loneliness and despair Carson experiences amid her grief due to Vivi’s absence—akin to a shaken carbonated beverage about to explode—pushes her toward making one bad decision after another. Here, Hilderbrand shows that while Carson is aware of the harmful implications of her actions, she cannot yet stop them.

“‘So now you’re telling me my nudges won’t work?’ ‘They’ll work,’ Martha says. ‘What I’m telling you is a nudge is a nudge. It’s exactly what a parent tries to do in real life. But you don’t have the power to stop love or change it.’”

Martha advises Vivi against using a nudge to stop Carson and Zach’s affair. While the nudges will work to some capacity, they cannot significantly change the course of events powered by certain forces, love being one of them. Martha compares a nudge to parents’ attempted guidance in real life; it is not a guarantee of changed behavior. This emphasizes The Power of Fate and Destiny Versus Choice and Agency, as she shows some things are predestined so much so that individual choices and actions cannot affect them.

“Vivi’s and Savannah’s lives could not have been more different that summer, but since then their lives have converged, and now, four years later, they are best friends. Change happens in an instant—one girl offers another her bottle of Breck shampoo, and a friendship is formed.”

Vivi and Savannah become best friends throughout their shared college experience, and Vivi traces their friendship back to the moment she borrowed some shampoo from Savannah. She later learns that her father was responsible for this moment: He used his nudge to send Vivi to college without shampoo, so she would need to ask for some from a peer. In this case, the nudge points to the other side of the argument for The Power of Fate and Destiny Versus Choice and Agency: Even seemingly small choices and actions can change the course of one’s life entirely.

“It’s been three years since the last homicide on Nantucket. The maid of honor in a lavish wedding at a waterfront estate called Summerland was found floating in the harbor. They chalked that up to an accident, but it still irks the Chief and he knows it bothers the Greek as well.”

The Chief reflects on the last homicide on Nantucket. This is a canonical reference to another one of Hilderbrand’s books. The Perfect Couple (2018) is centered around this particular mystery, and the Chief heads the investigation in that case as well; however, it is left unresolved. Hilderbrand includes some common characters and elements across her numerous Nantucket novels, and the Chief is one such character.

“JP gives Vivi a blank stare and Vivi wonders if he’ll be able to put aside his own woes for a minute and celebrate Vivi. A huge smile breaks across JP’s face and he lifts Vivi off the ground. She wraps her legs around him and they kiss like they haven’t kissed since before Carson was born.”

In a flashback, Vivi breaks the news to JP that her first book is poised to sell well. Although JP celebrates his wife’s success in this moment, Vivi’s achievements eventually become a point of contention in their marriage. While JP does not detract from his wife’s successes, his lack of ambition sees Vivi lose respect for him, and he begins to feel insecure next to her. This is what ultimately leads to JP’s affair and the end of their marriage. However, this memory is an important one as it highlights that JP is not an entirely bad character—there are moments in their shared past where he has been a loving and supportive husband to Vivi. Hilderbrand consistently paints her characters as flawed and real, ensuring no one character is portrayed as all good or all bad.

“‘I think you should focus on the good you did your son.’ ‘What if he needs me again?’ Vivi asks. ‘Eventually all three of them are going to have to learn to live without you,’ Martha says. ‘All the way without you. The summer is going to end, Vivian. Summer always ends.’”

Martha reminds Vivi that her son will have to learn to live without her. While Vivi was allowed to parent Leo one last time, his Growing Up After Parental Loss in Adulthood will have to happen independently of Vivi; thus, it is symbolic that Vivi’s viewing window concludes at the end of summer. She will not be present to watch him go off to college as she had wanted to, as this is a milestone into adulthood Leo will have to cross on his own.

“‘I don’t think my mom would do that. She was a good person. And also a really strong person, self-aware, self-confident.’ ‘I’m sure she was as a grown-up,’ Brett says. ‘But when she was seventeen, she was battling some pretty serious demons. The way she described Alison in the book sounded exactly like the Vivi I knew.’”

Willa is shocked to learn what Vivi was capable of when Brett tells her about the pregnancy lie. Willa’s claim that Vivi was a “good person” is not negated by Brett’s assertion that Vivi was young and troubled, evidenced by the phrase “she was battling some pretty serious demons”; rather, his easy forgiveness of her mistake reiterates Vivi’s essential goodness. Having Brett respond this way to Vivi’s decisions, despite being the one most negatively impacted by them, is yet another step Hilderbrand takes to paint Vivi in a sympathetic light.

“When Vivi wrote the book, she knew there was a slim possibility that Brett would find out about it and an even slimmer chance that he would read it. A surprising thought crosses her mind: Maybe a teensy part of her, lurking in the dark chamber where she’s been hiding this secret all of these years, wanted Brett to know the truth. Maybe she wanted to confess.”

Vivi reflects on how she perhaps unconsciously wanted Brett to learn the truth about their past. Vivi’s underlying regret about her mistake is what propels her to write Golden Girl; ironically, this book, and the mistake it details, goes on to become not only her greatest success but also finally propels Brett to the fame that Vivi’s lie denied him. This becomes the key example of how Introspection on Life’s Achievements and Regrets can coexist, as well as how destiny and agency interact in complicated ways.

“Listen, I like JP. He’s essentially a good guy and I’ve been impressed with him this summer because he’s treated you beautifully. But he’s soft, Vivi. He gets everything handed to him by his mother. He’s never held a real job and has no plan for the future, no ambition, no drive.”

Savannah disapproves of JP and Vivi’s pairing when they first start dating. Savannah’s assessment of JP turns out to be spot on: JP’s lack of drive is responsible for the eventual breakdown of Vivi and JP’s marriage over time. Ironically, Savannah and JP grow closer together after Vivi’s death, united in their grief over the same person, despite Savannah’s initial opinion of JP, described in this flashback. Here, Hilderbrand emphasizes how unlikely relationships can form and grow in the wake of tragedy.

“She can’t believe she’s been fired. It doesn’t feel real. But yes, it is real, she’s out driving around at five thirty in the evening instead of taking drink orders, making people happy, ringing the dorky bell. Her identity is rapidly evaporating. She has lost her mother, lost her lover, lost her job. Who even is she?”

Carson gets fired and is in shock over everything she has lost and who she has become, evidenced by the phrases, “Her identity is rapidly evaporating” and “Who even is she?” Hilderbrand outlines the depths of Carson’s despair in this passage—she has lost everything that gave her joy, comfort, and material support throughout a single summer: her mother, lover, and employment. This puts into perspective the loneliness and grief that influence her decisions.

“‘You’re both at fault,’ Brie says. Initially, Vivi wants to reject this. But if she honestly examined her feelings, the ones that she has done her best to sublimate and ignore, she’d have to admit that, over the years, she has lost respect for JP. She has placed him in the same category as the kids.”

In a flashback, Vivi and JP’s counselor point out that Vivi’s actions have also contributed to JP’s affair, and Vivi reflects on where her actions stemmed from. This passage is a callback to Savannah’s initial warning to Vivi about JP’s softness and lack of ambition. It also outlines the things that are important to Vivi and explains her strong connection to a character like Savannah, who is independent, ambitious, and accomplished.

“She will not succumb to self-pity, tempting as that may be. She will not badmouth JP or Amy. She will buy a big house and spend whatever it takes to make it even warmer and cozier than the one she left. She will be resilient; she will bounce back. She will be happier than ever before.”

Vivi resolves to build a bigger and better life than the one she lost to JP in the divorce, especially for her children’s sake. This passage highlights not only Vivi’s resilience and ambition but also how she constantly prioritizes her children, striving to acquire and outfit a house to be “even warmer and cozier” than the one the family previously all lived in together. Except for Amy, who has her complicated reasons, no one resents Vivi’s wealth and success because of her upstanding character, generosity, and graciousness.

“Vivi isn’t sure she needs anything other than for her children to be healthy and happy, but at five p.m. on Wednesday, August 11, when the New York Times bestseller list is announced, D. K. Bolt’s Satan’s Weekend is at number three, the Dorothea Benton Frank book is at number two, and…Golden Girl, by Vivian Howe, is at number one.”

After Brett’s appearance on Good Morning America, Vivi’s book finally reaches the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list. This signifies two things. First, it showcases how, despite her children being her priority, Vivi still had dreams and ambitions outside of motherhood; second, it is yet another autobiographical element Hilderbrand includes in Vivi’s story, as two years before Golden Girl’s release, Hilderbrand experienced this honor herself.

“‘The mechanic said it looked like the Jeep had been in the water for an hour, tops. But you drove it into the Bathtub Friday night, right? And called the tow truck on Saturday?’ Marissa swallows and casts her gaze down at her butter plate. ‘Right.’ She’s lying, Rip thinks. But what else is new? He’s in claims. People lie to him every day.”

At a birthday dinner for JP’s mother Lucinda, Rip speaks to Marissa about her ruined Jeep. This is another instance in which Hilderbrand includes a seemingly innocuous yet important detail into the narrative: Marissa’s Jeep, having only been in the water for an hour, eliminates an alibi for her on the morning of Vivi’s death. In the absence of this key detail and evidence, the investigation into Vivi’s death continues to drag on.

“‘So maybe my lying about being pregnant was a good thing for Brett!’ Vivi says. ‘He had to wait three decades, but he made it to number one instead of stalling out at thirty-seven. Maybe this was the way things were supposed to work out.’ Martha pushes herself up from the chair. ‘I think you’re finally starting to get it, Vivian,’ she says.”

Martha uses her powers to examine the road not traveled and reveals to Vivi that without her lie, Brett’s “Golden Girl” would have never achieved the success it now has. This is an instance of The Power of Fate and Destiny Versus Choice and Agency working in concert: Vivi’s choice to lie, along with her death by chance, are the two key factors responsible for how events unfold in Brett’s life. Martha’s acquiescence that things were “supposed to work out” this way reiterates that some choices one makes interact with a set of predetermined circumstances in how life plays out.

“‘I just feel like we aren’t honoring Mom unless we ask for the maximum sentence,’ Carson says. ‘As usual, you have things backward,’ Willa says. ‘We honor Mom by offering forgiveness. You know how she treats the characters in her books? She gives them flaws, she portrays them doing horrible things—but the reader loves them anyway. Because Mom loves them. Because they’re human.’”

Willa reminds Carson of how Vivi crafts her characters as an argument for forgiving Marissa; Willa believes that Vivi would have done so because she saw her characters as human rather than in black and white. This is reflective of how Hilderbrand herself crafts her characters as flawed and imperfect yet sympathetic and lovable.