Summer Romance

Ali’s pantry represents her mental state. Ali organizes other people’s homes and panties for a living. However, since losing her mom and separating from Pete, Ali has left her own pantry unattended. The messy, disorderly state of this space physically mirrors Ali’s cluttered mind and spirit. Because of her loss and disappointment, she “doesn’t have the time or energy” (7) to invest in her own private realm. Ali’s inability to maintain her living space directly correlates to her fear of confronting her psychic state. Therefore, when she later summons the energy to clean out the pantry, she conveys her desire to mentally heal and grow.

Ethan takes Ali to the skate park when he realizes she’s having a bad day, because he thinks the sport will relieve her internal tension and help her process her complex emotions. While giving her a lesson, Ethan explains that skateboarding is “about finding balance and then mastering a trick that you’re sure is impossible” (105). Therefore, skateboarding represents balance. For Ethan, the sport has also helped him look “at something that can’t be done and [become] willing to go after it anyway” (105). Ali is initially reluctant to try the sport but discovers that it teaches her about “grace and control” (105). Ali is similarly trying to find greater balance in her personal life. She’s pursuing change and healing but is also attempting to face her fears, take risks, and believe in herself.

Ali’s wedding ring symbolizes her past. While wearing the ring, she’s still attached to the life that she created with Pete, holding out hope for that life. She keeps the ring on for an entire year after she and Pete separate. Her decision not to remove it reflects her reluctance to let go of the life and identity she devoted so much time to shaping. However, when Ali takes off the ring near the beginning of the novel, she liberates herself from this fraught era of her life, challenging herself to discover a new lightness of being and thus awaken to future possibilities.

When Ali and Ethan spend an afternoon at Pelican Island, she feels an immediate sense of relief. Pelican Island symbolizes perspective. She can still look back and see all of Beechwood behind her. However, from this particular angle, Ali can’t see the mess that her life there contains. Being on Pelican Island grants her distance from her divorce, her kids, and her grief. This physical distance helps Ali gain perspective and see her life and herself in new ways.

The binder that Ali prepares for her mediation meeting with Pete, Lacey, and Ethan represents control. Ali feels confident and assured once she makes this binder: It reminds her of a more orderly version of herself. In addition, she puts the binder together on her own. Doing so independently reflects her desire and ability to exercise agency and take control of her life and future.