Hook, Line, and Sinker

These chapters illustrate the traditional structure of a romance plot: After the characters first connect, there is a reversal where one or both doubts the relationship and feel swayed by all the original reasons they rejected the possibility of love in the first place. That happens here with Fox. The consummation of the protagonists’ sexual desire is intensified by the many deferrals and developing emotional connection; the fact that Fox and Hannah confess their feelings before sex makes the experience more meaningful for both.

With newfound confidence, building on the small steps he made in buying a record player, Fox takes the keys to the Della Ray in part because he wants to become the kind of responsible, capable man that Hannah could respect and who could be seen as worthy of her. The disrespect his friends show him about his reputation and their lack of belief that he could be worthy of Hannah plays on his own fears. He worries that he will eventually hurt her, or worse will potentially embarrass her—the way his own mother flinches at the sight of him. This makes him decide to sever things with Hannah. He bases his beliefs on his past experience rather than his new experience with Hannah.

Another key trope in romantic comedy is that characters work on themselves before they are ready for a relationship. When a character has grown, this signals that they are ready for commitment. In these chapters, Hannah has transformed and become the best version of herself. She has found her own way to come to peace with her father’s loss, and to feel a connection with him. In sharing the songs with Opal, she deepens her connection to her grandmother and helps provide for her by assigning the royalties from the music to her. Further, it is at Cross and Daughters—the bar that the Bellinger sisters renovated in their father’s memory—where Hannah reflects on the progress she’s made and feels ready to move on from the life she lived in Los Angeles to something new. Her personal growth is complete, and this will make her ready to deal with the further obstacle of Fox’s insecurity. Hannah’s having made peace with her past makes her able to help Fox make peace with his.

Music again plays a key role in bringing the characters together. In the sound booth where Hannah listens to and participates in the recordings, she feels close to Fox, who is behaving like a boyfriend, jealous of the attention she receives from other men. Making love in the car reflects the close world the two have been inside for most of the novel, their primary interactions being with each other and less so the rest of the world. Most significantly, Fox’s gift of bringing her to the Sound Garden, which he knows she would love, demonstrates he is, despite his own doubts, a worthy match for Hannah. The wind and the rainstorm reflect the tempestuousness of their feelings, but also clear the air and make way for something new.