In the Likely Event

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-14

Chapters 15-20

Chapters 21-27

Chapter 28-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Planes, Helicopters, and Flight

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which features in the source text.

Izzy begins the novel as a young woman with a fear of flying, and surviving a plane crash only increases her fear. For a long time, Izzy refuses to fly, only returning to the air after she learns effective coping mechanisms such as listening to music to distract herself. When Izzy goes to Afghanistan during the troop withdrawal, she flies in helicopters, which create an experience that can be even more intense for a person who has a fear of flying. Again, she uses music to cope, and this allows her to make a connection with Nate because she must use his earbuds.

In this novel, planes, helicopters, and flying in general all become symbolic of fear and trauma. At the same time, flying becomes a symbol of something that Izzy must overcome in order to achieve her most pressing goal of saving her sister from the political turmoil in Afghanistan. In fact, flying is the only means by which Izzy can locate her sister. Finally, flying becomes a conduit to her connection with Nate. While flying, Nate shares his music with Izzy and chooses songs that conjure good memories of their past romantic relationship. This gesture opens a dialogue that allows them to reconnect, thus allowing the romance plotline to advance.

Ladyhawke

Released in 1985, Ladyhawke is a movie starring Michelle Pfieffer and Matthew Broderick. The film follows the story of Isabeau and Navarre, lovers who were cursed by a bishop so that Isabeau turns into a hawk during the day and Navarre transforms into a wolf. Because they aren’t human at the same time, they are cursed to remain forever apart despite their love for one another. This movie is a favorite of Izzy’s mother and it is also the inspiration for Izzy’s name. Because Nate and Izzy watch the film together on Izzy’s birthday in 2014, it also becomes emblematic of the nature of their unresolved relationship. In many ways, Ladyhawke’s plot mirrors Izzy and Nate’s relationship in the sense that a curse prevents Isabeau and Navarre from being together even as life circumstances repeatedly thwart Nate and Izzy’s love for one another. At the same time, Rebecca Yarros uses Ladyhawke to express the depths of Nate and Izzy’s relationship. In this way, Ladyhawke becomes a symbol of the connection between Nate and Izzy, a connection that is further explored when Izzy learns that Nate uses the name Navarre as his call sign in Afghanistan. It is clear that despite Izzy’s initial refusal of Nate’s proposal, he still thinks of her often and feels the connection symbolized by the movie.

Nate’s Engagement Ring and Julian’s Dog Tags

While in Afghanistan, Izzy becomes aware that Nate wears a set of dog tags that are heavily taped. She believes the tape is intended to prevent the tags from making noise, but while spending the night in an airport in Kandahar, she is questioned by his fellow soldiers and learns that the taped dog tags represent something important yet unexpressed to Nate. Later, she discovers that the tape holds an engagement ring that Nate has been carrying around with him for three years. Not only this, but she also discovers the dog tags don’t belong to Nate, but to his deceased best friend, Julian Torres.

The engagement ring and dog tags are a motif of the theme of The Myriad Effects of Psychological Trauma, for the ring represents Nate’s one attempt to open up to Izzy and to push her into helping him make the decision of whether to remain in the military. Nate sees this attempt as a failure because Izzy does not respond as he wants her to; however, he does not realize that her hesitation stems from her acknowledgement that he is in no fit state to make such profound life decisions in that moment. She turns him down not from a lack of love, but from her awareness that he should not make a decision based on trauma rather than logic. The dog tags are therefore the symbol of Nate’s unresolved trauma. However, these objects also represent his redemption when he shows Izzy the ring, thereby inspiring her to confess her feelings for him. And ultimately, giving up the dog tags allows Nate to seek help for his PTSD.