I Hope This Finds You Well

“The guilt of everything I did to them would be enough, but add to that the pressure of the life they want for me, and every conversation we have is the worst.”

As the novel opens, Jolene’s relationship with her parents is fraught with tension, as she feels guilty about the way that Ellie’s death impacted their social standing as well as continued pressure not to disappoint them. Here, Jolene’s thought establishes the theme of Trust and Authenticity in Parent-Child Relationships and makes it clear that Jolene’s relationship with her parents demonstrates neither of these qualities. Instead of addressing underlying issues with her parents directly, Jolene glosses over and ignores them, which not only makes for awkward conversations, as referred to in this quote, but also causes her to drift further from her parents over time.

“The thing about annoyance is that once there’s a spark, you can find more things to stoke it. It grew and amplified between me and them. And eventually the abyss stared back.”

Reflecting on her relationships with her coworkers, Jolene admits that she allowed a few small disagreements to build up until they created a barrier between her and the others, emphasizing Alienation and Dehumanization in the Modern Workplace. Her reference to the abyss staring back is an allusion to a passage by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, which hints at the possibility for a person to be consumed, corrupted, or overwhelmed by a negative situation.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to convey normalness to a person.”

As Jolene attempts to ingratiate herself to her coworkers, she finds herself trying to adhere to a vague standard of what is considered “normal” or expected. At first, she attempts to do so simply by changing her outward appearance and behavior. Try as she might, however, she finds that her behavior remains unnatural so long as she is acting out of ulterior motives to protect her job security instead of genuine concern for others.

“If you were seeking mental health advice, would you really source that information from Supershops Incorporated? I mean, would any employee want their employer helping them with their mental health when they’ve done so much to harm it?”

Highlighting the theme of Judgment Versus Empathy, Jolene points out the company’s hypocrisy when Cliff offers her company-approved mental health resources, as the business maintains a working environment that takes a toll on the employees’ mental health. If the company really cared about employees’ welfare, she implies, it would take steps to prevent employees from reaching the point of desperation that she did. Nor is Jolene an isolated case; most of her colleagues appear to experience various mental health challenges that are exacerbated by their work.

“The morning has just settled after the chaos hour of people marching around to caffeinate, put lunch bullshit in the fridge, and pretend to care about Marsha’s opinion of the TV show she watched last night with her husband.”

This passage aptly demonstrates Jolene’s self-perception as an outsider within what she sees as a superficial office culture and emphasizes her sense of Alienation and Dehumanization in the Modern Workplace. The things she mentions, including coffee, refrigerated lunches, and discussions about pop culture, are staples of office behavior, almost to the point of being clichéd. Jolene’s disdain for them hints at her broader dissatisfaction with her life, to the point that she looks for sources of annoyance around her, rather than acknowledging her inner turmoil.

“So much of what I do here has nothing to do with my actual job, yet these little interactions matter so much.”

Jolene attitude toward her work is primarily a functional one: She does her work with minimal, if any, interaction with others. When a coworker who is on maternity leave stops by with her newborn child, Jolene approaches the baby only due to social pressure, not wanting to be seen as unfeeling. This reveals that Jolene’s feelings about her social obligations mirror her attitude about her work. In each case, she does exactly what is required and expected but volunteers little of her own volition.

“Mom’s prescription for me is always just to literally stop being sad. I know it’s not malicious. She grew up believing that depression and anxiety are controllable with the right attitude, fruit, and sunlight. She has traumas of her own that she’s been ignoring, long before my pile of problems joined the mix. As an immigrant, this is survival mode.”

Here, Jolene considers her mother’s well-meaning but misguided concern for her mental health. Whereas Jolene realizes, even if she doesn’t always admit it, that her trauma will not simply go away, her mother seems to think that Jolene can solve her problems through sheer grit and determination. Jolene presents this as a generational difference, one that mirrors larger historical shifts in perceptions of mental health challenges.

“And the creamy comforting treat pairs terribly with my racing mind as the realization hits: Armin has a bigger house of cards to protect than me.”

Seeing the efforts that Armin makes to project a positive image of himself to his parents, Jolene realizes that his relationship with his parents mirrors her own and does not represent Trust and Authenticity in Parent-Child Relationships. This marks an important turning point for Jolene, as she begins to recognize that she and her colleagues are not so different. Her reference to a house of cards, meanwhile, demonstrates the fragility of relationships that are built on lies, foreshadowing later developments.

“I instantly regret my words. It’s far too close to the bone.”

When Jolene inadvertently opens up to Cliff during one of their training sessions, her immediate response is to second guess herself for being too honest. This illustrates a key aspect of Jolene’s emotional state—she is afraid to be vulnerable or to give voice to negative emotions, instead choosing to repress and ignore them. Her willingness to open up to Cliff, if only momentarily, also illustrates their compatibility.

“Our hands graze during the handover, sending a rush through my abdomen.”

Jolene’s interactions with Cliff are marked by moments like this, where she feels the thrill of momentary attraction. She describes her feelings in terms of bodily sensations that offer readers a glimpse into the excitement and uncertainty of a budding romance. In addition to being hallmarks of romantic fiction, such passages effectively foreshadow Jolene and Cliff’s ultimate romantic pairing.

“I think of her smile when I was presenting in the multi-unit meeting. Her shy thank-you when I taught her how to use the online archive. I’ve always suspected that Rhonda was part evil, but maybe that part isn’t as big as I thought.”

Although Jolene first assists Rhonda out of a desire to further her own career, she finds herself moved by Rhonda’s expressions of appreciation. Jolene’s journey from resentment of her colleagues to empathy is a gradual one, as she only partially admits to liking Rhonda here. The more she learns about them, the more she realizes that their fears, hopes, and concerns are not so different from her own.

“Monday morning wraps up a weekend of spiraling—just me, my wine, and my ever uniquely anxious thoughts.”

Jolene uses drinking as an emotional buffer to deal with the stresses, anxieties, and disappointments in her life. Although she recognizes this as an unhealthy pattern, as her comment here reveals, she finds it difficult to break the pattern. Jolene’s experience with mental health challenges serves as a critique of dismissive attitudes that minimize such challenges, as demonstrated in the novel by Jolene’s mother.

“Don’t fear for me. Fear for you.”

When he is fired from Supershops, Larry sends a mass email that ends with this line. His comment reflects the duality of his feelings at being fired. While he no longer has a source of income, he is also relieved to be free of Supershops’s oppressive work environment, and his sentiment resonates with Jolene, who is similarly disenchanted with her work. Even though there are some signs of positive change for the company in the end, neither Cliff nor Jolene ultimately finds satisfaction by staying at the company.

“Nobody is immune to thinking that they might be wasting their only life on a place that can toss you out without a second thought.”

Following Larry’s departure, Jolene reflects on the fundamental imbalance between companies and individuals when it comes to filling positions: An individual may desperately need a position, while the company typically can choose from many individuals to fill a position, and it may also let those individuals go as soon as they are no longer needed. On a broader level, concerns about job security and layoffs take a toll on the mental health of Jolene and her coworkers, further emphasizing Alienation and Dehumanization in the Modern Workplace.

“A weight drills into my chest, hollow and heavy. It’s like there are these pockets of sorrow waiting to be uncovered right below the surface. But we see them only sometimes, only by chance. Otherwise, we never know.”

After overhearing Rhonda’s tearful conversation with her son, Jolene is overcome with emotion. This passage demonstrates Natalie Sue’s knack for capturing Jolene’s feelings, including non-romantic ones, in vivid bodily terms. It also reveals an epiphany on Jolene’s part, as she realizes that many of her coworkers may harbor deep sorrows, concealed under cheerful facades.

“I submitted some course material to him yesterday, and it was all so formal, with phrases like: ‘I hope this finds you well’ and ‘Best regards.’”

The temporary deterioration of Cliff and Jolene’s relationship sees her resorting to clichéd and formal language, including the phrase that serves as the novel’s title. In this context, Sue’s use of such banal phrases illustrates the way that flowery language is sometimes used in professional contexts to cover up a lack of feeling and connection between parties.

“I’m taking it day by day, but I’m trying not to lose myself to this job. Who I am and what I do in this world are more important than where I work.”

Although I Hope This Finds You Well is set primarily within the workplace, statements such as this one, which Cliff makes to Jolene after she is fired from Supershops, serve as a reminder that life outside of work should take precedence. His words also serve as an encouragement to Jolene, who feels that she has lost her identity and purpose after losing her job. In fact, Jolene finds that leaving Supershops provides a new opportunity to discover who she is and what she wants from life.

“Jolene, are you… Is lying, reading people’s emails, everything, maybe getting to you? […] This job might not be worth what it’s doing to you, you know?”

Here, Armin gently invites Jolene to consider the personal and emotional cost of her choice to lie and manipulate others for her career advancement. The implication is that the competitive, deadening work environment has the potential to change people who prioritize work over everything else. Jolene doesn’t heed his warning, however, showing just how thoroughly her sense of self-esteem is connected to her work outcomes, due in part to pressure from parents and others.

“Ever since Kyle yelled at her, it’s like a layer of skin has been lifted. I thought I knew who Caitlin was, but now I finally see her.”

Once Jolene overhears Kyle verbally abusing Caitlin, she sees Caitlin in an entirely different light, touching on the theme of Judgment Versus Empathy and suggesting people should opt for the latter. Here, as in the cases of Rhonda and Armin, Jolene recognizes a similarity between her and Caitlin, as Jolene was bullied by Kyle during high school. Notably, Jolene’s feeling of empathy is not immediately returned by Caitlin, who soon reports Jolene, showing that Caitlin must go through the same process of realization as Jolene for their relationship to be healed.

“I should say something. I should want to hug her or to comfort her in some way. But all I keep thinking is: Finally, you see what it’s like. It stays that way forever.”

When Miley is rejected by some of her peers, Jolene has a mixed reaction, as recorded here. On the one hand, she feels sorry for Miley, whom she sees as a younger version of herself. At the same time, she feels vindicated in her own bitterness, since she finds comfort in the thought that life is unavoidably and perpetually disappointing. This passage thus captures Jolene’s cynical frame of mind after her dismissal from Supershops and underscores the theme of Judgment Versus Empathy.

“I’m sorry I cut you out. You don’t even know me anymore because I hide so much. […] There were days—there are days—when I’m not sure why I’m here.”

After Jolene reveals what she considers to be disappointing truths about her work and relationships to her parents, she finally opens up about how and why she distanced herself from them through deception. As she does so, Jolene allows herself to become truly vulnerable and give voice to her deepest feelings and insecurities. She finds that doing so finally allows her to address the root causes of her dissatisfaction with her life and sets the theme of Trust and Authenticity in Parent-Child Relationships on a positive trajectory.

“We never know what somebody is going through and I’m no different. I never saw you, Armin, or even Caitlin how I should’ve.”

Although Jolene’s ability to read others’ emails gives her a brief glimpse into their interior lives, her main takeaway as the novel concludes deals with what she doesn’t know. Specifically, she realizes that most of what other people think, feel, and experience is unknown to her. Instead of projecting negative motivations onto others, as she did in the past, Jolene is now equipped to abandon her assumptions and give others the benefit of the doubt, closing the loop on the theme of Judgment Versus Empathy.

“I can understand why you did what you did. I can understand feeling like you had no choice.”

Instead of feeling angry toward Caitlin for reporting her and indirectly getting her fired, Jolene compassionately recognizes that Caitlin’s actions arose from her own vulnerable emotional state at the time. This marks the completion of Jolene’s character development into someone who empathizes with others instead of judging them superficially.