When We Collided

Permanent marks are a frequent motif in the novel. Vivi leaves these marks in seemingly random places all throughout the book. They symbolize Vivi’s desire to be remembered as well as her love for a thing, person, and place. Her go to phrase “Vivi was here” can be found carved into a tree, in a slip of paper buried in the Daniels’ flowerbed, scratched into Jonah’s headboard, and painted in the mural at Tony’s Bistro. When Jonah asks Vivi why she leaves her calling card everywhere, she says:

Because it’s all so fleeting, isn’t it? The ocean existed so long before us and will stay long after us—most trees, too, and some animals. Isn’t that crazy? My dress collection will live longer than I ever will. […] I’m just looking for some kind of permanence, so my mark will linger on the world once I’m gone, in the places where I found joy (62).

Vivi understands and dreads the ephemeral nature of human existence. She is afraid of not leaving a mark on the world after she has passed away. In order to combat the intertwined fears of namelessness and fleetingness, Vivi leaves her stamp on things that bring her joy. Outside of Verona Cove and Jonah’s home, Vivi frequently marks Jonah himself.