The Truth About Forever

Wes Baker is described as incredibly handsome and tall, with “brown hair that [is] a little bit too long” and “sculpted cheekbones and angular features” (30). He has a heart-in-hand tattoo on his bicep that matches the concept of many of his sculptures around town. Wes is a round character and foil to Jason and becomes Macy’s love interest over the course of the novel. Unlike Jason, who often makes Macy feel incompetent and alone, Macy can always count on Wes, as “no matter […] what [is] happening, [she can] look over at [Wes] and feel that someone, at least, [is] on [her] side” (106).

Wes is a previous troublemaker who, in a fit of rebellion after his parents’ divorce, was arrested after breaking into someone’s house with a delinquent group of friends. He was sent to Myers Reform School and was unable to leave when his mom found out about her breast cancer. He couldn’t be there for Bert, who was 13 at the time, and felt very useless. Therefore, when Wes was released, “all [he] knew was that [he] never wanted to feel like that again. Whatever else happened, to Bert or anyone, [he] was going to be there” (209). In keeping that promise, Wes continues to look out for Bert. Delia claims that he “thinks he can fix anything. And if he can’t fix it, he can at least do something with the pieces of what’s broken” (95). Unlike Jason, who Macy wrongly believes can fix her by cleaning up the messy parts of her and helping her attain The Illusion of Perfection, Wes is capable of helping her reassemble her broken pieces and creating something beautiful out of them, just as he does with his angel sculptures made from salvaged materials.

Wes met his current girlfriend, Becky, at Myers, but she’s at Evergreen Care Center until the end of summer after being busted with pot. Like Macy and Jason’s, Wes and Becky’s relationship is on pause until her release.

Jason Talbot is Macy’s smart and seemingly perfect boyfriend at the beginning of the novel. He is a foil to Wes, highly prioritizing perfection, whereas Wes believes perfection doesn’t exist. Jason strives to be sure about everything, and this aspect of his personality is highly coveted by Macy after the death of her father. The way he takes the mess of Macbeth and fixes it, making it clear for Macy to understand, makes her “wonder if he might, in some small way, be able to do the same for [her]” (14). Jason is who she believes she needs, prompting Macy to form a codependent relationship with him, to the point where she disconnects from her friends and avoids all social events in favor of spending time with him.

However, Jason does not display any physical affection toward her. While affection was something Macy didn’t care for right after the death of her father, it’s something she comes to yearn for a year and a half later. Jason cannot provide Macy with the love and care that she desires. Instead, his own goals and expectations of perfection place too much pressure on Macy, prompting her to feel like she’ll never be good enough.

The Wish Catering staff are pivotal in showing Macy how to begin Embracing the Unpredictability of Life by shedding The Illusion of Perfection.

Delia is the sister of Bert and Wes’s mother, Melissa, or “Wish,” and has taken over Wish Catering after her death. Delia has a husband named Pete and a young toddler named Lucy, and she is pregnant with her second child. Delia thrives in chaos and imperfections. To Delia, the imperfections and chaos allow one to fully appreciate the rare moments when things go smoothly and perfectly. She believes that sometimes, the holes that are left in one’s life—whether through loss, death, or something else—are not always meant to be filled but endured and worked around. Delia is a foil to Deborah, providing Macy confidently and assuredly with another outlook on life that ultimately allows Macy to heal.

Bert, 16, is described as short and chunky, with the same dark eyes and hair as his older brother, Wes. Bert is impulsive and energetic, evidenced by his decision to buy an old ambulance as his first car, which he names the Bertmobile. Bert is also obsessed with end-of-the-world conspiracies, and his confidence and carefree nature show Macy that it’s okay to be unapologetically herself.

Kristy and Monica Palmetto are sisters and the granddaughters of Stella. Kristy has two scars across her face and others across her body from a car accident her mother caused when Kristy was 11. Macy is drawn to Kristy because something about Kristy is “so electric, alive, that [Macy] recognize[s] it instantly, if only because it [is] so lacking in [her]self” (70). Kristy is a key force that prompts Macy to step outside her comfort zone and rebel against the expectations of her mother, Jason, and herself. Kristy also proves to Macy how little outward appearance and The Illusion of Perfection matter to a person’s worth and personality.

Monica is tall and moves slow and sloth-like yet is severely “accident prone” (38), making her the main cause of spills and accidents at every catering job. Monica is laconic, a woman of few words, and when she does speak, her tone carries no inflection, earning her the nickname Monotone. However, when she does speak, her words often carry significance, such as at the end of the novel, when she convinces Macy it’s never too late to fix things with Wes, ultimately giving her the courage to run after him. Monica never gets nervous, and this aspect of Monica provides a contrast to Macy’s anxiety over every flaw or inconvenience.