The Cost of Knowing

“No matter what I do, it doesn’t help. The mess happens anyway, and I just end up embarrassed, often because it looks like I caused whatever I’d been trying to prevent. So I’ve stopped trying. Better, and less humiliating, to just lie low and let fate happen. That’s the real reason I don’t tell Scoop what I saw. Whatever I say, whatever I do to stop it, this place is doomed.”

This passage establishes the premise of the novel’s magical realism as well as Alex’s feelings toward his visions at the beginning of the story. Alex’s power introduces the theme of Fate Versus Free Will because he initially feels as though his visions are a curse and that he is powerless to change the future. This sense of futility is seen in his resignation that Scoop’s is “doomed” no matter what he says or does.

“Talia is looking at me like she wants to kill me. Like I’ve done something unforgivable. Like it’s over. I don’t recognize her. She’s never looked at me like this. Even as I watch her in this vision, glaring at me like she’s trying to drill straight through my head with her eyes, I know she’s actually standing in Scoop’s ice cream shop right now, holding my hand, but I don’t know if she’ll hold my hand like this tomorrow.”

Alex’s vision of Talia glaring at him hatefully while wearing a black sundress has a strongly negative impact on their relationship. Afraid to touch her and see more of this unwanted future, he withdraws from her. Alex’s dread of their breakup ultimately creates the strained distance in their relationship that he wants to avoid. This is one example of how Alex’s powers act as a curse that keep him in a state of near-constant anxiety and isolation.

“Before I can will the vision to stop, I see the inscription on the side. I see the name before I can backpedal out of this nightmare. ISAIAH RUFUS, DEARLY BELOVED.”

Alex’s vision of his younger brother’s burial sets the plot into motion and advances the novel’s major themes. The vision also develops the theme of Fate Versus Free Will. Alex knows that he cannot change what he sees, but he can exercise his agency and change his behavior based on his knowledge.