She's Not Sorry

Facebook is a motif that develops the theme of Secrets and Their Destructive Consequences as well as deception more broadly. Meghan Michaels first starts using Facebook after she and Nat Cohen connect at the divorce support group. Meghan is delighted to see Nat’s friend request on the social media platform “because it’s a time in [her] life when [she] could really use a friend” (48). Nat’s friend request makes her feel both validated and wanted. She sees the request as evidence that Nat “wants to reconnect” and “to be friends again” (48). Furthermore, spending time messaging with Nat on Facebook alleviates Meghan’s loneliness when her daughter is either staying with her father or hiding in her room. Facebook therefore offers Meghan the illusion of friendship and connection; the platform deceives Meghan into believing Nat’s story and the way that she presents herself. For example, she studies Nat’s idyllic photos with her alleged husband, Declan Roche, and finds evidence of Nat’s formerly happy life—exactly what Nat wants her to see so as to better manipulate her.

Nat’s/Caitlin’s fabricated Facebook profile is merely an extreme example of the way other characters curate their image on and offline.