Honestly Elliott

“Deep in my heart, I know that Kate is actually a nice person. That should make things better, but sometimes it makes it worse. Because maybe I need to be nicer. Maybe I need to do more. But I am trying, whether Dad and Kate see it or not.”

The Impact of Family Dynamics and Divorce on Children is a prominent theme running through the book. Elliott feels conflicted about his family dynamics. He is trying to figure out how to relate to Kate, but he does not know how. His final remark illustrates that Elliott feels misunderstood. Navigating his changing family dynamic is a significant portion of Elliott’s character arc.

“The Goal isn’t perfection—the goal is making something new. Something delicious. Something that brings people together.”

Elliott connects with people through his cooking. He feels less pressure to do things correctly. Other areas of his life, like school, are too rigid for him, and he is often admonished for making mistakes. In the kitchen, he does not have to worry about following orders because, for him, cooking is an act of creation. His recognition that perfection is not always the goal develops throughout the text as he learns to accept what he has.

“I know he’s saying this stuff because he cares about me. But it’s also not helpful to hear how perfect he was when he was my age. In fact, it’s the opposite of helpful.”

Mark and Elliott’s relationship is strained because they do not know how to relate to each other. Mark had an easy time in school and loves sports, while Elliott struggles with both the social and academic aspects of school but loves cooking. Instead of accepting Elliott and his interests, Mark tries to relate to Elliott by encouraging Elliott to be more like him so he can understand him better. The fact that Elliott calls his approach “the opposite of helpful” instead of “unhelpful” suggests that he is starting to form and voice his opinions but has not yet learned how to fully articulate them.

“Dad and I might handle things differently, but you’ll also have teachers, coaches—and even, one day, bosses at work—who do things differently too.”

Both Nina and Mark are attentive parents who cooperate with each other. Although they are divorced, they support each other’s parenting decisions, which provides Elliott with a structured environment. They also are both concerned with preparing Elliott for the future. Nina’s future vision of “coaches” and “bosses” characterizes her as a sage figure who remains static but provides advice for Elliott.

“But. I have a mom who gave me those socks. And who made a burrito for me. And who gave me a ride to school so I wouldn’t be late.”

When he has a bad start to his Monday morning, Elliott soothes himself by focusing on his mother. His reflection characterizes him as grateful, loving, and considerate, and it demonstrates that he has good coping skills for managing his emotions. The single-sentence “But.” marks a turnaround for him as he pivots from a negative train of thought to a positive one.

“Never underestimate the power of one person believing in you.”

Elliott narrates this line twice in the novel. In the first appearance in Chapter 10, he says it in reference to Ms. Choi. Ms. Choi understood why Elliott almost failed sixth grade, and she helped ensure the school implemented proper accommodations to help him succeed. In the second appearance, Elliott references the avocado plant that Nina is growing. Both instances impart a strong message about the importance of encouragement.

“In a flash, I see my future: Another project packet crammed in the corner of my closet and my grades for this semester will plummet. I’ll have to use my culinary camp money to pay back Dad. And then I’ll either enroll in summer school or repeat sixth grade on an endless loop, or possibly both. Malcolm will come back and move on to seventh like everyone else, and I’ll have to stay behind.”

Elliott is quick to catastrophize when he feels like he has failed to secure a partner for the business project. His thoughts foreshadow a later discussion with Dr. Gilmore in which Dr. Gilmore advises Elliott not to make mountains out of molehills. Overcoming this tendency to catastrophize is a significant feature of Elliott’s character arc.

“Have you ever had a terrible day? One rotten thing happens, and then another. Eventually, it starts to feel like a whole pile of awful is stacked on top of you. But the weird thing is that if someone comes along and is nice to you, that’s the exact instant you suddenly start crying.”

This description of Elliott’s emotional response to Kate’s kindness serves multiple purposes. By starting with a rhetorical question and describing a hypothetical bad day followed by kindness, McDunn encourages the reader to reflect on their own experiences. The remark contributes to the novel’s perspectives on The Impact of Family Dynamics and Divorce on Children by developing the relationship between Kate and Elliott, and it highlights The Power of Friendship and Mutual Support by demonstrating how kindness and support can help a person process their emotions in a safe space.

“The Incident isn’t a molehill, and it isn’t a mountain. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. I don’t want to talk about it or even think about it. And nothing will ever change that.”

McDunn uses foreshadowing and irony in tandem. Elliott’s assertions are ironic because he does learn to talk about his experiences and feelings, and the remark foreshadows his decisions to tell Maribel and Dr. Gilmore about The Incident later in the text. The Incident and Elliott’s decision to talk about it represent an underlying message about the ability to process emotions by seeking support and talking about them.

“Even though the new baby isn’t here, it seems like he already comes first.”

Many of Elliott’s negative feelings and behaviors, including The Incident, are driven by his fear of being replaced by his baby brother. His fear significantly impacts his relationship with Mark because he thinks that Mark will prefer the new baby. The pleonasm of “new baby”—since a baby is new by definition­—emphasizes that Elliott sees the baby as something shiny and exciting to his parents in comparison to his older self.

“I have lots of apples. Sometimes I have too many apples. Sometimes I have so many it’s like they’re spilling out of my arms and rolling across the floor in order to check out a new and exciting fruit basket that’s halfway across the room.”

McDunn uses apples as a metaphor for attention. This is a simple metaphor designed to explain emotional experiences to young readers. The final sentence incorporates personification, which adds a comedic layer to engage the intended young readership.

“Sometimes, people can be mean. Especially to people who are different.”

Maribel and Elliott bond over their shared experiences of being rejected by their friends. They have diagnoses—celiac disease and ADHD—that make them different from their friends. By drawing attention to Maribel’s and Elliott’s differences and to their friends’ reactions, McDunn demonstrates the tendency for humans to ostracize those with differences, and she illustrates how it impacts those who are ostracized, sending a message of the importance of inclusivity.

“Maybe it’s the kind of thing that could happen to anyone, but mostly it feels like the kind of thing that’s always happening to me.”

Elliott focuses more on his mistakes than he does his successes. Elliott’s tendency to focus on the negative is implicitly attributed to Mark, who often criticizes Elliott during their father-son talks. This is further supported by Elliott’s tendency to be more positive when he is with his mother, who is consistently supportive. This reinforces the novel’s messages about The Challenges and Triumphs of Living with ADHD, since it is ableism that makes Elliott see the negatives rather than the traits themselves.

“No offense. The words make me stop in my tracks. I sound like Victor and Gilbert and Kunal and Drew. I sound even worse. What am I doing?”

After he is mean to Maribel, Elliott immediately recognizes his mistake. McDunn gives the phrase “no offense” a negative connotation early in the text and then turns it into a refrain to signal mean behavior. By noticing that his behavior is wrong, Elliott demonstrates that he is compassionate and that he got carried away by his emotions.

“It’s weird. Sometimes it seems like Dr. Gilmore doesn’t talk very much, but it’s in those sessions where it feels like the most gets said.”

During Elliott’s therapy session when he speaks about his fight with Maribel, Dr. Gilmore challenges Elliott’s views. By challenging Elliott, he guides Elliott into thinking critically about Griffin Connor and Maribel. The remark also contains subtle situational irony; Elliott thinks that a successful therapy session should include Dr. Gilmore giving him advice or directions, but therapy is more successful when Elliott comes up with the answers he needs on his own.

“As I read the recipes, I have the feeling that whoever wrote them was handing over something important—something precious, in a way.”

Seeing old cookbooks inspires Elliott to change his mind about recipes. The cookbooks in the community room are culturally and historically significant to Avery, and Elliott realizes that passing down recipes is important. He is thinking for himself rather than strictly following Griffin Connor’s advice. Self-discovery and independent thinking are often found in coming-of-age stories such as Honestly Elliot.

“As I watch, my brain does that thing where it is thinking about lots of things at once.”

Sometimes when Elliott’s brain works quickly, it is disruptive, but other times it is beneficial. When he is in his element in the kitchen, he can let his brain run free, and in the process he gets inspired to make a new kind of gluten-free crust based on crumble topping. This is a demonstration of how ADHD traits can be positive, highlighting The Challenges and Triumphs of Living with ADHD.

“I do feel mad about some things—and sad about others. But I also feel brave and calm. I’m all of them at once, which I guess is the way it happens sometimes with feelings.”

Elliott has historically struggled with identifying his feelings. He has a breakthrough with Dr. Gilmore and realizes that people can experience more than one emotion at a time. Not only does this progress Elliott’s character arc, but also it serves as a lesson of the novel.

“Dad, why did you ask me what would help if you were going to tell me that I’m wrong?”

Mark’s character arc takes place indirectly through his interactions with Elliott. Mark has an authoritarian parenting style with high demands, but he comes to realize that his methods are ineffective. He makes an authentic effort to listen to Elliott and to try to understand Elliott’s perspective. Once he accepts Elliott for who Elliott is, their relationship improves significantly. The resulting message is the idea that parents need to listen to their children.

“But the truth is sometimes you don’t really understand that something is yours until it seems like it might get taken away.”

Kate’s preeclampsia forces Elliott to confront his feelings about the baby from a different perspective. The threat of losing his brother helps Elliott realize that he loves his brother and wants him to be part of his life.

“You can’t compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.”

Nina advises Elliott not to compare his family with other families. Her statement is an adage that uses simple language to convey a truth, with the aim of making it more digestible for a younger audience.

“I know we’ve been working on a business project this whole time, but for some reason, I’d never thought about the fact that we might actually be able to make some serious money. That’s something I’m going to have to share with Dad, the next time I see him.”

One of the primary points of contention between Mark and Elliott is their different opinions on careers. Mark wants Elliott to pursue a lucrative career, and Elliott wants to pursue cooking. For much of the novel, Elliott is stuck on their disagreement, but after his success at Avery Local, he realizes that he can have a lucrative cooking career.

“It feels like galaxies are swirling inside me. It feels like the gravity of the universe just shifted.”

Meeting Jonah is a life-altering moment for Elliott. He has gone from being an only child to a big brother, and he is awed by the transformation. He nears the end of his character arc having shed his insecurity about being replaced and his resentment at having a split family.