47 pages • 1 hour read
Emma GreyThe Last Love Note: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Pinboard
Early in the novel, the pinboard Kate saves when she fears her house will explode from the grenade represents the way she is still clinging to Cam and memories of her old life. The pinboard encapsulates the relationship between Kate and Cam, as well as the future they anticipate. That Kate puts in the pins in the places she wants to see reflects, first, Cam’s devotion to her, but also it foreshadows that Kate will, in future, be traveling alone. When she realizes that she alone placed the pins, it signals another stage in Kate’s feelings of loss and parting from Cam. It also reminds her of how much he supported her and how he was a part of her planned future.
Kate’s pin in Norway represents the top of her bucket list, her most wished-for adventure. The red pins they placed together are physical markers of the experiences they’ve shared, the substance of their relationship. At the conclusion of the book, Kate feels like she is still on Kate & Cam’s Excellent Adventure, which symbolizes how she has integrated her love for Cam into her life and feels like he is still a part of her, both her past and her future.
The Notes
The notes symbolize Kate’s connection with Cam, offering a way to communicate as well as evidence of their strong connection. Cam’s first note to her, passed during a university lecture, confirmed his interest, which Kate already reciprocated, and led to their relationship. Cam’s notes during the course of their relationship exemplify his devotion and support, as when he gives Kate encouragement before her job interview.
When Cam’s notes are for himself, as with the words he tapes to household objects to try to help him navigate his illness, they represent the loss of connection, and after his death, keeping these notes represents how Kate is clinging to memories in ways that won’t let her recover from her grief: She’s still stuck in that stage of Cam being lost to her. When she can remove the notes from the house, it’s a purification process; Kate is letting go of the past, though she’ll never forget Cam. Ultimately, Cam’s notes serve to connect Kate to Hugh, as the last ones she finds in her coat pocket reveal the truth behind the secret between the two men. Cam wanted Kate to love again, so the notes represent the ways Kate finds love and comes to terms with her situation.
The Beach
The beach symbolizes a new stage in Kate’s journey through grief as it offers her a place to reflect on the current stage of her life. Free of her house with its responsibilities and burdens—and memories of Cam—Kate feels like she’s facing a blank state upon which she can write a new story. The novel employs pathetic fallacy, as the weather on the beach reflects Kate’s different states of mind: the sunset when she is contemplating a new beginning with Hugh, the stormy rain when she realizes she is still hung up on her grief and hurt by Hugh’s secret. The scenery around the beach offers metaphors as well; the volcano becomes a representation of Kate’s feelings, as she feels she erupts later, and the green foliage reminds her of Ireland, a place she feels is home. The beach represents new opportunities, freedom, and the space to breathe.
