Mclean and her dad might not be moving to middle-of-nowhere towns in What Happened to Goodbye, but they're still pretty alone in the world. Whenever they move into a new house, they keep their connections surface-level and hardly unpack their bags—they're always ready for the next move. While this makes packing up and moving again easy, it comes at a steep emotional cost—they're pretty lonely, even when they have each other to lean on—and it's only when Mclean starts making friends in Lakeview that she starts to feel better about her life.
Questions About Isolation
- Why do Mclean and her dad only live with the bare minimum? Why do they live like survivalists in their empty house?
- Why does Mclean decide to call Dave when she's alone at the Poseidon?
- Do you think that Mclean's dad feels lonely now that he's always on the road? Why or why not?
- How does Deb's life change when she meets Mclean and all her other friends?
Chew on This
Mclean and her dad live in an empty house that reflects their lack of connections to the place where they live; they're afraid that if they clutter their lives with things and people, they'll be hurt again. But it's only when they start to make ties that they're truly able to thrive.
Even though Mclean has always left towns without saying goodbye, this changes in Lakeview. When she is planning to leave Lakeview, she's finally developed the ability to form attachments—and to try to maintain them when she leaves a place.