Five Feet Apart

Although she dies a year before the novel’s beginning, Stella’s older sister Abby serves as an important symbol throughout the story. Daring and nurturing, Abby stood by Stella’s side from her first hospitalization at six years old until her own untimely death. The novel starts with Stella slowly tracing the outline of Abby’s drawing, which hangs by her bed. A depiction of lungs filled with blooming flowers, the drawing encourages Stella and reminds her of Abby’s calming and positive presence, which Stella can no longer rely on. This unprocessed grief surrounding Abby’s death fuels Stella’s blind observance of her regimen, and it is only after she encounters Abby in the afterlife at the frozen pond that Stella finds peace. Her reunion with Abby guides Stella to choose to live fully and accept the lung transplant. Once a figure through which Stella vicariously experienced a bolder and more adventurous life, Abby transitions into a motivational figure who inspires Stella to embark on her own adventures. Stella honors this guidance in the last chapter as she travels to fulfill her and Abby’s wish to see the Sistine Chapel. Abby teaches Stella how to live the rich life she desires to live, and how to rise above death’s inevitability to live life to the fullest.