The cliché
The novel is by no means meant to relay some important philosophical information about life and existence. It is a novel filled with clichés, all the romance clichés one can think of. There is the innocent girl falling for the bad guy, wanting to break out of her innocence. There is the perfect, but not so perfect, boyfriend who doesn’t value the girl, and there is a shocking family drama twist. It is all combined into a simplistic, but also a captivating writing style, that brings this cliché characters and stories to life.
Clothes as a symbol
Clothes hold important symbolic meaning. Ashton, as an innocent pastor’s daughter, wears clothes that portray that. On the other hand, Beau’s on and off-again girlfriend, wears “skimpy” clothes that are supposed to further portray her as the easy girl. Beau is the typical, leather-wearing, motorbike-riding bad boy, while Sawyer the preppy parent-approved perfect boyfriend.
Misogyny
Misogyny is an element sprinkled in throughout the novel. Nicole, Beau’s girlfriend, is the main example of it. She is dehumanized and only described through her appearance, her clothing and her sexuality. On the opposite spectrum, there is the innocent Ash, whose innocence / virginity is about to be corrupted by the local bad boy. She is also dehumanized in a way, and seen as an object of exchange between the two cousins.
Sin
The symbolism of sin is present from the very beginning. Ash herself is a pastor’s daughter, who is about to commit a grave sin by being lured in by the town’s bad boy. Bad boy Beau is the archetypal bad boy, a demon seducer leading her astray. The novel questions sin, portrays it as a concept of control, rather than something inherently bad.
