46 pages • 1 hour read
Robinne LeeThe Idea of You
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Solène Marchand
Solène Marchand is the protagonist of The Idea of You and most of the novel is told in her voice. An accomplished art gallery owner, Solène Marchand navigates her divorce from her ex-husband Daniel, her tumultuous relationship with her almost teenage daughter Isabelle, and her undeniable attraction to the famous and young Hayes Campbell. Dedicated to her work, Solène thrives on her passion for creating opportunities for contemporary women artists and artists of color. This passion compels Solène to maintain a steadfast commitment to her career alongside her family duties. The balance of her life is disrupted by her instant attraction to and connection with Hayes, a singer in the cult boyband August Moon. This disruption and its consequences create the narrative arc of the novel.
Solène’s character is an exploration of the multiple, often conflicting, demands placed on women by society. Through her, the novel explores women’s personal rights to individuality and sexual pleasure, and the challenges these needs pose to their roles as mothers, (ex-)wives, friends, and businesspeople. In her creation of Solène and her dilemma in a relationship with a younger man, Robinne Lee examines the way society views women, especially as they reach middle age, and what is considered appropriate for them. By framing Solène’s narrative within the context of global fame and publicity, Lee is able to create an example of how women are impacted by ideals of femininity portrayed by the media. In this way, while Solène’s circumstances are unusual, she is representative of women in the Western world and the pressures they navigate. This makes her an empathetic character and gives the novel much of its human interest.
Solène embarks on a journey of self-exploration when she meets Hayes, and although this relationship will ultimately fail, the process is what forms her character arc. The narrative follows the development of Solène’s character from a person who is defensive and closed off from life to one who is happy to make deeper connections in the world. At the beginning, Solène often feels isolated from her peers. Born to French parents and art historians, Solène feels the pressure to meet her parents’ standards of conduct and acclaim, another form of familial demand. Her French background often leaves Solène feeling separate from her Los Angeles neighbors and hesitant to express her emotions openly. She is divorced and has problems trusting men—she has been celibate for three years at the novel’s opening. The relationship she has with her daughter Isabelle is loving but not deep, and Solène finds it natural to keep secrets from those close to her.
Through her relationship with Hayes, Solène learns the power of vulnerability and discovers an adventurous side to herself that embraces passion. Although Solène’s relationship with Hayes is set up as oppositional to her relationship with Isabelle—and the two are ultimately incompatible—it is through her journey of self-growth with Hayes that Solène is able to deepen the mother-daughter bond.
Hayes Campbell
Descended from a wealthy, respectable British family, Hayes Campbell pursues a career in music in rebellion against his parents’ lofty expectations. He is handsome and successful. Through August Moon, Hayes achieves worldwide fame that brings him the adoration of millions of fans and allows him to continue writing music. It is through his success in August Moon that Hayes meets Solène Marchand, the beautiful mother of one of his fans. He begins a relationship with Solène that changes him forever.
Only 20 years old, Hayes navigates a life devoid of privacy as he reaps the rewards of his fame and longs for respect as a musical artist. Known for his penchant for older women, Hayes relentlessly pursues a relationship with Solène and demonstrates a respect for her unwavering dedication to her work as a gallery owner. A supportive partner, Hayes expresses his love for Solène openly and unapologetically while simultaneously allowing Solène to express her love in her own time. Hayes is in direct contrast with Solène’s unsupportive ex-husband, Daniel. Through Hayes’s support of her, Solène learns to fall in love again and discovers the power of her own sexuality. Despite Hayes and Solène’s struggles with long distance and their busy schedules, Hayes remains committed to his relationship with Solène and attempts to continue their relationship no matter what. When faced with Solène’s decision to end their relationship, Hayes maintains his steadfast nature before, ultimately, respecting Solène’s wishes.
Isabelle Ford
The daughter of Solène and Daniel, 13-year-old Isabelle struggles with the changes that emerge in the aftermath of her parents’ divorce, her mother’s newfound relationship with her favorite popstar, and her transition from childhood into adulthood. Her character provides tension: Solène must navigate her role as a mother and her loyalty to her daughter who has a crush on Hayes. A longtime fan of August Moon, Isabelle is in many ways a sympathetic personification of the fans who hound August Moon and, by extension, Solène.
The revelation of her mother’s romantic connection with the much younger Hayes disrupts Isabelle’s childhood fantasy of beginning a relationship with Hayes and damages her relationship with her mother. Forced to confront the loss of her childhood crush, Isabelle adapts to more real changes in her life, including her father’s new marriage and child. As the novel progresses, Isabelle matures and attempts to support her mother’s journey of self-discovery by suppressing her own needs. When Solène and Hayes’s relationship reaches new heights of publicization, Isabelle confides in her mother about the difficulties she has been facing in school due to teasing, which repairs her fractured relationship with Solène. The relationship between Isabelle and Solène is the most satisfying aspect of the novel’s conclusion, and Isabelle, as supported by her mother, represents the hope of a better future for women in society.
Daniel Ford
A successful entertainment lawyer, Daniel Ford attempts to maintain a civil relationship with his ex-wife Solène Marchand as they balance co-parenting duties of their daughter Isabelle. Upon discovering Solène’s relationship with 20-year-old Hayes Campbell, Daniel serves as a constant reminder of society’s judgment of Solène and Hayes’s relationship. In a relationship with a younger woman, Daniel is an example of society’s double standards. A foil to Hayes, Daniel does not support Solène’s passions for art and her career and continues to control Solène’s actions under the guise of concern. Despite their conflict as former husband and wife, Daniel and Solène find common ground when Daniel supports Solène in a moment of need regarding the intense harassment she receives from Hayes’s fans.
Lulit Raphel
Solène’s partner, Lulit Raphel owns half of the Marchand Raphel Gallery and serves as a sounding board for Solène throughout the novel. A representative of Solène’s work, Lulit reminds Solène of her commitment to her work throughout the novel as Solène attempts to balance her passion for art with her newfound relationship with Hayes. A source of encouragement for Solène, Lulit remains a constant in Solène’s newly turbulent life. Through Lulit’s encouragement, Solène allows herself to pursue a sexual relationship with Hayes. It is also Lulit who alerts Solène to her observation of the deeper feelings she witnesses between Hayes and Solène. Through Solène’s interaction with Lulit, the narrative is able to reveal a different perspective and show Solène exploring her own. Lulit’s character is representative of positive female friendship and support.
Oliver Hoyt-Knight
Hayes’s bandmate and childhood best friend, Oliver Hoyt-Knight plays the role of antagonist throughout the novel. Described as “the most elegant of the group,” Oliver finds himself surrounded by rumors regarding his sexuality throughout the novel (12). These rumors add a layer of mystery to Oliver: He makes unwanted sexual advances to Solène that upset her and threaten to upend his relationship with Hayes. Oliver pursues Solène through a series of inappropriate comments and advances in retaliation for Hayes’s sexual indiscretions with Oliver’s sister Penelope. In contrast to Hayes, he uses Solène as female pawn in navigating his male relationship with Hayes. Through Oliver and Hayes’s relationship, Lee offers a glimpse into the complicated relationships between band members and the negative effects of fame of a weak character. After Oliver punches Hayes and fractures his nose, their conflict finds resolution.
