Goodbye Days

With Carver’s first visit to Dr. Mendez, the book dives further into the theme of mental health. Georgia’s character serves as a mental health advocate of sorts—not only for Carver but also for the reader—by normalizing therapy. She previously told Carver she went to Dr. Mendez for depression and a possible eating disorder after a bad breakup, making it clear to both him and the reader that people can see a therapist for any number of reasons. It doesn’t require an event as traumatic as what Carver has experienced. Carver’s session with Dr. Mendez further highlights the useful nature of therapy. The therapist emphasizes that while he will prescribe Carver an anti-anxiety medication, this must be coupled with actual therapy—talking. After his first session, Carver already feels relieved.

Of course, one therapy session doesn’t “fix” everything overnight. That Carver still has dreams about Sauce Crew shows that his guilt and grief also operate at a subconscious level. Because of his guilt, Carver is even afraid to get closure—as he admits when thinking of the impending “goodbye day” for Blake. Carver still does not feel deserving of closure, a sign that he’s still wracked by guilt.

The ripple effect theme is again brought to the forefront when Carver discovers the Facebook page “Prosecute Carver Briggs.” He thinks to himself that this is the sort of thing that future schools or employers might find online; it’s a permanent black mark on his reputation. The “ripples” of the text message Carver sent promise to continue into the future. The book will go on to expose more immediate “ripples,” consequences of the accident, as they impact the dead boys’ friends and family. However, ironically the narrative’s overarching argument is that searching for too much causality in life (x happened because of y—the accident happened because of the text) is futile and unhealthy.

One character who seems desperately in need of a cause–effect explanation for the accident is Adair. She is presumably the creator of the Facebook group, on a vendetta to pin the accident on Carver. Her rage speaks to the stages of grief, one of which is anger. Her threatening words towards Carver enhance the fear that he may end up going to jail. Adair’s character isn’t well-rounded as the reader never learns much about her. She serves two purposes. First, she’s a plot device, designed to heighten tension around the criminal investigation, which she seems eager to spur on. Second, she’s a representation of the many ways in which people grieve. Adair copes with her loss by embracing rage.

Carver’s comment that the accident will “stain” his life forever also raises the topic of trauma. Trauma is not a single moment but something that impacts a person’s life long-term. The lasting impact of trauma is paralleled by the lasting impact the accident will have practically, for example when an employer searches Carver’s name. Carver even capitalizes “the Accident” when mentioning it, indicating its significance—as if it were a historical event needing a proper noun. This choice reflects the fact that people often divide their lives into the time before and after trauma.