A Sea of Unspoken Things

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse and death.

Fraught family relationships are at the core of this novel’s narrative and thematic structure. Although James and Johnny’s relationship is the most overt example of fractured family bonds, the novel broadens this theme through the portrayal of their childhood and the similarly complicated lives of secondary characters such as Autumn and Ben.

James and Johnny have a close bond that is both intimate and damaging. Their connection is almost preternatural: They can often feel what the other is experiencing and, even when they are not physically together, they remain aware of each other’s emotional states. James describes them as being “connected in places that no one could see, in ways that [she] still didn’t understand” (4). It is because of this connection that James not only knows that Johnny killed Griffin in a moment of pure rage but also that Johnny’s death was not an accident. In each case, she knew exactly what Johnny was feeling during these moments of heightened emotion and danger, and it led her to a greater understanding of each death. The closeness of their bond thus helps her to unravel the mysteries of the past, but it also traps her in an emotionally burdensome dynamic.