Every Summer After

“[T]he more horror I read, the more I grew to love the writing behind the story—how the authors made impossible situations believable. I liked how each book was both predictable and unique, comforting and unexpected. Safe but never boring.”

A young Percy describes why she loves the horror genre. A love for horror stories and movies is one of Percy’s defining character traits, especially when she is a teenager. She eventually introduces Sam to horror too, and it becomes something shared and intimate between them. Horror stories and movies are a recurring motif in the book, pointing to the theme of Friendship as the Foundation of First Love and marking important milestones in Percy and Sam’s relationship.

“[E]very so often I catch myself fantasizing about leaving the city—finding a small place on the water to write, working at a restaurant on the side to pay the bills—and my skin starts feeling too tight, like my life doesn’t fit.”

An adult Percy reflects on how her life in the city doesn’t quite feel complete. She recognizes that there is a different kind of life she longs for and a specific place she feels at home. However, her reluctance to even think about it, let alone act on these feelings, hints at something unresolved in the past that she is running from.

“I would lose nights imagining where Sam was at that precise moment, wondering if there’s a chance he might be thinking of me. Sometimes I felt sure he was—like there was an invisible, unbreakable string that ran between us, stretching vast distances and keeping us joined.”

An adult Percy involuntarily thinks about Sam often, even though he is no longer in her life. Her conviction that a connection still exists between them will be proven right when she meets him again. It also points to the soulmates trope that Fortune draws upon throughout the novel.

“‘Where’s your brother today?’ I asked, thinking of how they’d goofed around in the water the day before. Sam turned onto his stomach and propped himself up on his forearms. ‘Why do you want to know about my brother?’ he asked, his brows knitted together.”

Percy’s innocent question about Charlie’s whereabouts evinces a strong reaction in Sam. Sam’s discomfort and defensiveness when people pay attention to Charlie are products of the rivalry between the brothers. The younger, quieter Sam feels especially jealous whenever Percy pays attention to his brother, or whenever Charlie pays attention to her. This insecurity, present from the very beginning, will play a significant role in Percy and Sam’s relationship.

“We stand staring at each other silently, and then he takes three giant strides toward me and wraps his arms around me so tight it’s like his large body is a cocoon around mine. […] ‘You came home.’ I squeeze my eyes shut. I came home.”

Percy receives a warm welcome from Sam when she returns to Barry’s Bay after 12 years. At first glance, Sam’s reaction to Percy appears to be due to the strong bond of friendship that the two shared, speaking to the theme of Friendship and First Love. In retrospect, after the truth about the past is revealed, this interaction also displays how deeply Sam loves Percy and his ready acceptance of her despite her previous mistakes, pointing to importance of Forgiveness in Love. This scene, which demonstrates Percy and Sam’s instant reconnection, also highlights the tropes of soulmates and second Chances.

“Delilah’s gaze ping-ponged between us, and when the fireworks started, booms echoing around the bay, she moved onto the seat beside me, linked her arm through mine, and whispered in my ear, ‘Your secret’s safe with me.’”

Delilah picks up on Percy’s feelings for Sam from watching the interactions between the two. Despite initially being presented as a bully, Delilah eventually displays that she is capable of fierce loyalty in friendship. She guards Percy’s secret and is consistently a good friend to her after the two reconcile as teenagers; she even welcomes Percy back into her life when Percy reaches out to apologize, years after pushing her away.

“I want to talk about the last time we saw each other. To tell him how sorry I am. To tell him why I did what I did. To come clean. But I can’t go there tonight. I’m not prepared.”

Percy thinks about how she is not ready to talk about the past yet. Her assertion that she has something to confess, as well as something to apologize for, reveals that Percy is hiding a secret that she feels deep guilt over. These lines highlight that Percy understands that Honesty and Forgiveness are important but that she is not yet strong enough to face up to the past.

“And I felt it. The pull between us. The one that had been there since we were thirteen, the one that only got stronger as we got older, the one I tried to deny twelve years ago. I didn’t break it. I broke us. I can fix it.”

Percy wakes up the morning after reuniting with Sam and rejoices at the continued existence if their connection. This validates all the times she has thought about Sam and imagined him thinking about her too; the connection she felt between them was real and is in keeping with the soulmates trope.

“‘But the funeral is tomorrow.’ The words come out in a burst, thickly coated with judgment. Sam, rightfully, looks taken aback by my tone. ‘Knowing Taylor, she’ll find a way to come back.’ It’s an odd response, but I let it slide.”

Percy wonders about Taylor’s absence and Sam’s odd response about it. Percy can sense that she doesn’t know the full story about Sam and Taylor, but she hesitates in asking for details. Percy’s tendency to avoid something unpleasant or difficult is a characteristic response. It also comes from a belief that Sam does not owe her anything, least of all the truth, when she herself has not been truthful with him.

“I have an odd sensation looking out over the water and the raft and the far shore—it’s all so familiar, like I’m watching an old family video except the people have been scrubbed out so I can only make out faint silhouettes where they once were. I long for those people—and the girl I used to be.”

When Percy sees the lake and the raft again, she experiences a wave of nostalgia and longing for the past. The lake is an important setting in the book, and significant moments taking place there—including Percy and Sam’s first sighting of each other. Percy has not been to the lake in 12 years, and returning feels like she’s returning to the person she once was.

“‘Let’s say I do it: swim across the lake. What’s in it for me?’ ‘I’ll give you a present.’”

Sam challenges Percy to swim across the lake like she used to, promising her a present upon completion. Swimming across the lake is a recurring motif, signifying the theme of Friendship and First Love and paralleling the progression of Percy and Sam’s relationship. The present that Sam promises is also a significant one. Despite Percy’s failure to complete the swim, Sam still presents her with the friendship bracelet (another important symbol), signaling his acceptance, forgiveness, and willingness to try again despite past mistakes.

“The best girls are worth waiting for. Trust and friendship come first, then the other stuff. You’re only sixteen, just about to start eleventh grade. And life, hopefully, is long.”

Sue offers Percy and Sam advice after she catches Percy sleeping over in Sam’s room. Sue’s advice to take thing slowly is at odds with her own experience—she had been friends with her husband, Sam’s father, since they were children, and they got married right out of high school. However, Sue lost her husband to a heart attack while they were both still young. Therefore, Sue’s advice comes from a place of motherly concern; she worries that Percy and Sam will become overly attached to each other too young, setting them up for heartbreak in the future.

“You and me are special […] There’s no one else I’d rather spend time with than you. There’s no one else I’d rather talk to than you. And there’s no one else I’d rather kiss than you. […] But you’re more important to me than kissing. And I’m worried that if we rush that side of things we’ll fuck up everything else.”

Sam asks Percy to wait to start a relationship together, despite his strong feelings for her. He takes Sue’s advice to heart, and his insecurities creep in—especially the worry that he will mess up his and Percy’s friendship. Sam also cites his academic focus as a reason to wait, displaying his ambition. However, Sam’s prioritization of academics over Percy will negatively impact their relationship in the future.

“‘I think I bought these for you.’ He untucks the four flaps over the top of the box and holds them open so I can see inside. […] ‘There must be dozens.’ ‘Ninety-three, to be precise.’”

Sam gives Percy the collection of horror movies that he accumulated throughout college but never watched. Although Percy loved watching horror movies even before she met Sam, it eventually became a shared activity and something neither could do alone in their time apart. Sam’s growing horror movie collection demonstrates his continued thoughts about Percy and the enduring connection between the two; it also evokes the soulmates trope. Sam’s offer to watch a horror movie with Percy now is his attempt at a reconciliation.

“Sam had spotted the silver bracelet around my wrist as soon as he walked through the door to the cottage on Christmas Eve. […] ‘Have any updates for me, Percy?’ he asked, his eyes narrowed. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell him about our relationship, […] but I didn’t want to lie to him, either. ‘The silver doesn’t really go with ours,’ was his only response.”

Percy begins wearing the silver bracelet Mason gave her after they make their relationship official. Sam’s statement about how it doesn’t look right next to their friendship bracelet underlines the symbolic nature of both bracelets. Sam and Percy’s friendship bracelets match and are handmade with love, symbolizing their unique connection. On the other hand, the silver bracelet is flashy and impersonal and reflects Percy and Mason’s superficial relationship: Percy only agrees to be Mason’s girlfriend because Sam doesn’t want to be with her, and she wants to make him jealous.

“That summer, the tension between Sam and Charlie was obvious almost as soon as I got out of the car. The Florek brothers stood towering by the back door of the cottage a full meter apart.”

The summer that Percy and Mason are officially dating, Percy can sense the tension between Sam and Charlie. This is later revealed to be because Charlie believes that Sam should be with Percy. Charlie’s opinion stems from a combination of things, including his belief that Sam is taking time and people for granted. Additionally, Charlie is also attracted to Percy, but he has ostensibly been holding back because of his brother’s feelings. However, despite Percy reciprocating Sam’s feelings, he doesn’t want to date her; this frustrates Charlie.

“They had been friends since kindergarten, started dating in ninth grade, and got married after high school. My grandfather will tell you that there was no way to convince either one of them to wait just a little bit longer. They knew. Some people are lucky like that. They meet their best friend, the love of their life, and are wise enough to never let go.”

Sam describes his parents’ relationship in his speech at Sue’s funeral. The way Sam speaks about his parents reveals that he values and appreciates the conviction with which his parents recognized each other’s love and chose to be together without wasting any time. It also reflects his own regret at not having done the same with Percy.

“‘Sam […] has this belief that everything is meant to work out between you two in the end. And I think that’s pretty much bullshit. […] I don’t think anything is meant to be […]. He already screwed things up when you got that hockey player boyfriend. I hope he fights harder this time […] Or someone else will.”

Charlie disparages Sam’s belief that things are meant to work out between him and Percy. Charlie’s observation is an astute one and belies his perceptive nature. It also hints at his own feelings for Percy and his frustration that Sam isn’t trying hard enough to maintain their relationship; Charlie would behave differently if he were in Sam’s place. Charlie’s words further foreshadow that he will eventually make a move on Percy.

“My point is that he didn’t really know you, even months and months into the relationship, and you didn’t help him get to know you. I didn’t like that.”

Chantal makes an astute observation about Percy’s behavior in relationships. It shows Chantal’s perceptiveness about Percy’s feelings, despite the fact that Percy has not confided in her about Sam. It also indicates how deeply Percy was affected by what happened with Charlie and Sam, and how she closes herself off from emotional investment in romantic relationships.

“I don’t take things for granted anymore. I don’t take people for granted. And I know time is not infinite. […] I think Charlie always understood that. Maybe because he was older when Dad died. He thought I was wasting time with Taylor.”

Sam expresses that he has changed over the years, and he explains that Charlie always understood that one cannot take time and relationships for granted. This explains Charlie’s frustration with the way Sam handled things with Percy in the past. It also indicates Sam’s ability to learn from mistakes and hints at his eventual reconciliation with Percy.

“Sometimes we’d have coffee and breakfast with Sue after the swim. At first she seemed uncomfortable with our friendship, looking between us with a slight frown. I’d mentioned it to Charlie once, but he’d brushed me off. […] But I wondered.”

Percy notices that Sue seems uncomfortable about her growing closeness with Charlie. The fact that Percy wonders about this, despite Charlie’s dismissal, indicates that Percy is also aware, at least subconsciously, about the spark between them. Sue’s discomfort also suggests that she suspects that Charlie’s feelings toward Percy are deeper and more longstanding than he presents them to be.

“It felt dangerous in a way I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Horror movies were mine and Sam’s thing, but Sam wasn’t here. And I was. And so was Charlie.”

Percy reflects on how Charlie’s invitation to watch a horror movie with him feels “dangerous.” Her reflection points to the symbolism of watching horror movies in the book: It is something intimate that she shares with Sam, and sharing it with Charlie signifies that she is growing closer to him in a similar way. Percy’s reflection also presages that she and Charlie will grow so close that they ultimately sleep together.

“You didn’t deserve it, Percy. Just like I didn’t deserve what happened with Charlie. Betrayals don’t cancel each other out. They just hurt more.”

Sam asserts that neither Percy nor he deserved the betrayals that they served each other in turn. This idea helps Percy accept the past, forgive herself and Sam, and move forward. It points to the theme of Honesty and Forgiveness, indicating the importance of confronting the past truthfully if one is to heal. Sam’s assertion also allows Percy to see that despite her mistakes, she is still worthy of love.