This Is a Love Story

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, illness, and mental illness.

“Some people come because, at home, the yelling has gotten worse. Some because, at home, they don’t touch; they haven’t in years. Some because the touching has become too much. Some come only when the sun is out. Some come only in the dark. For those who feel it, there is nothing like the warm embrace of the Park.”

The third-person omniscient narrator’s descriptions of Central Park introduce the setting as a symbol of respite and escape, embodying both community and simultaneity. The narrator uses anaphora—beginning the first five sentences of the passage with the word “some”—to enact the cadence of the park’s activity. The setting features throughout the narrative in similar passages, casting it as a place of constancy despite the characters’ otherwise complex emotional experiences.

“You remember, in the beginning, how much we talked about art. How it felt. Wild in the head, calm in the body. Like having just sneezed or just yawned. I remember that before you, I’d never called it art to anyone. I admitted to loving it to you before anyone else. And though it was different for me […] I knew that feeling of protection, satiety, you spoke of. It made me feel seen. You did.”

Abe’s first-person, direct-address narration establishes the novel’s theme of Memory as a Form of Intimacy and Connection by directly connecting to how Jane’s relationship with art changed his life. He and Jane are actively recalling the start of their relationship and their impact on one another—particularly in the context of their artistic practices. Abe’s meditative tone conveys The Role of Art in Shaping Identity, which began with the inception of his and Jane’s love. The passage establishes his and Jane’s relationship as central to the novel’s themes and trajectory.