Love and Other Words

Elliot is a boy obsessed with books. The youngest of four boys, he is the nerd of the family and finds an escape by reading books in his neighbor’s closet. During the “then” timeline, Elliot lets Macy know she can talk to him about her grief over the passing of her mother. Elliot realizes his feelings for Macy and continues to declare his love for her, though she remains reluctant to fully commit to him. Even after she stops talking to him, he continues to love her. Macy says that Elliot brings out the honesty in her and functions as a catalyst who helps Macy realize her true feelings both in terms of their romantic love and her grief over the loss of her parents.

Sean appears in the “now” portion of the novel as Macy’s fiancé. He is a successful artist, 13 years older than Macy, with a daughter from a previous marriage. Like Macy, Sean experienced the loss of a romantic partner when his wife, Ashley, left him and their daughter due to drug addiction. Though supportive of Macy, Sean is emotionally distant. The only person he seems to bond with is his daughter Phoebe. He proposes to Macy mainly because of his daughter’s prompting. Though distant, Sean offers Macy advice she needs to figure out what she truly wants. This helps Macy decide she wants to be with Elliot.

The Prologue introduces the reader to Duncan and Laís, Macy’s father and mother, who set the example for what true love and a life partner should look like. According to Macy, their love is all-consuming, and it speaks in a private language. After Laís dies of cancer, Duncan never remarries. He is quiet and has some trouble expressing himself, though he has a good relationship with Macy. She understands his quiet ways and can interpret his nonverbal signals, like raised eyebrows and the way he looks at people.

Through observing her parents’ relationship, Macy learns the concept of a soulmate—a person ideally suited to be the romantic partner of another. That partnership and love can last even after death. This plays out in her own experience as even 11 years after separating from Elliot, she cannot connect to another man except on a superficial level.

The Petropoulos family forms a vivid contrast to Macy’s family. When the story begins, Macy and her father are a two-person unit, isolated in their grief over the death of Laís. The Petropouloses are a large family of four boys and a baby girl, Alex. Andreas, the eldest brother, is described as a “meathead” and poses a contrast to Elliot, who is thoughtful and bookish. This family, with its abundance of noise, love, and chaos attracts Macy, giving her the family largess, she lacks at home. Elliot’s parents allow Macy to call them by their first names, and they invite Macy and her dad over for Thanksgiving. They provide an openness to others and a willingness to be loving and vulnerable that Macy does not get from her father. This family dynamic helps explain why Elliot is willing and able to help Macy open up about her feelings.