The Charm Offensive

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-12

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Character Analysis

Dev Deshpande

Working for Ever After, Dev Deshpande prefers to focus on true love, soul mates, and happily ever afters, ignoring anything unpleasant about his work. Similarly, Dev is challenged with symptoms of depression throughout the novel, but attempts to dismiss this part of himself. In doing so, Dev prevents himself from becoming the healthiest version of himself, affecting his close relationships with others. Dev’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan Parker, notes, “‘Every time I tried to reach out, you retreated further into yourself. It was like you wanted to preserve this idea you thought I had of you. You wouldn’t let me love the real you’” (244). Dev also lives in denial about his career, choosing to stay in a workplace that doesn’t respect his identity as a gay man. In comparison, Dev proves he is emotionally supportive and empathic as he falls in love with Charlie Winshaw. Dev helps Charlie to discover parts of himself that bring him comfort and happiness.

Dev changes by focusing on Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance as he works with a therapist and pursues his career goals. While apologizing to Charlie for giving up on their love story, Dev explains, “I’m not sorry I left, because I needed to learn to take better care of myself” (346). Dev stops drinking and using humor to mask his symptoms of depression. He forces himself to confront his emotions and grows into the healthiest version of himself. In caring for himself, Dev becomes fully prepared to enter into a committed relationship with Charlie.

Charlie Winshaw

Similar to Dev, Charlie attempts to hide his OCD, anxiety, and panic disorder symptoms from others. Others expect Charlie to act charming, outgoing, and confident because of his attractive physical appearance, and Charlie feels deficient when he fails to meet their expectations. Charlie never reveals his mental health diagnosis to his long-time friend and business partner, demonstrating how little he trusts others with personal details. Unlike Dev, Charlie confronts his mental health conditions with therapy and healthy coping mechanisms. Even though Charlie tries to mask his OCD, panic, and anxiety symptoms from others, he never hides from himself.

With Dev, Charlie illustrates The Significance of Emotional Support From Romantic Partners as he feels comfortable opening up to Dev, who never dismisses or judges him: “The sharing is even scarier than the sex because it’s another barrier, another line he never thought he’d be able to cross with someone” (221). Dev validates Charlie’s emotions and builds his self-esteem, allowing Charlie to better respect the parts of himself that he hides from others. Charlie reciprocates this emotional support as Dev works through his challenges with depression.

Parisa Khadim and Jules Lu

Parisa Khadim plays a supportive role to Charlie as his publicist and friend. She supports Charlie’s public image and his mental health while also encouraging him to find love and explore his sexuality. Parisa’s life experiences afford her a keen intuition for those around her. Others can never hide anything from Parisa. She suspects Charlie’s attraction of Dev before Charlie realizes it himself. Parisa recognizes Dev’s depression, bringing Dev’s mental health to Charlie’s attention so Charlie can be supportive. Parisa serves as a safe space for Charlie and educates him about the spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities without judgment regarding his self-discovery.

Similarly, Jules Lu supports Dev as both his assistant and close friend. While Jules’s life experiences vary from Parisa’s, she serves as a relatable person for Dev to confide in, as she also hides from emotional difficulties by resorting to humor to avoid seriousness. However, when discussing confronting the struggles of their friendship, Jules holds Dev accountable for the distance between them. Jules helps Dev realize how his depression affects his loved ones and their efforts to support him: “the reality of our friendship is, you always kept me at a distance. You never really let me in’” (335). Jules also spurs personal growth in Dev like Parisa does for Charlie as she flies to North Carolina and forces Dev to confront his avoidance of Ever After. Jules provides Dev with the experience of clarifying that her friendship with Dev is not conditional on him being someone who is always fun and happy. Dev trusts Jules because of her unwavering friendship, allowing her to convince him to reunite with Charlie.