Message In A Bottle

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses death.

“[T]his trip was something she didn’t want to share with anyone. It had started with her alone, and that was the same way she wanted it to end.”

This exposition is revealed in the novel’s frame story, and it foreshadows the tragic end of the text’s central relationship. Theresa was alone prior to meeting Garrett—her divorce from David happened three years prior—and this description reveals that she is, once again, alone. If the relationship had worked out, she likely wouldn’t want to be alone.

“But anything can happen when the flame of a relationship goes out, and for him, it did.”

Theresa employs a metaphor, comparing a relationship to a flame, when she describes her marriage to David. A flame is inconstant, flickering, and can quickly be snuffed out, not unlike a relationship in which partners can change and passion can fade. When the flame “[went] out” for David, he chose to be unfaithful to Theresa, figuratively burning her.

“I miss you, my darling, as I always do, but today is especially hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together.”

Garrett personifies the ocean with the human action of being able to sing in the letter Theresa finds on the beach. This hints at the incredibly important role the ocean played in his relationship with Catherine and foreshadows the ocean’s power to affect Garrett’s future. His comparison of their life together to a song is a metaphor that highlights his sense that their relationship was purposeful and tremendously harmonious.