What Might Have Been

Many lives are changed in an instant when Evangeline dies. The obvious change is Evangeline’s as she never gets to live past her teenage years, but the lives of Joni and Bess as well as the lives of their loved ones are also irrevocably changed. This prompts some characters to consider what their lives would have been like had the tragedy not occurred.

The character who considers this the most is Bess’s mom. This is a logical consideration of hers because, as Bess’s mother, she is the most invested in her daughter’s best interests. Bess was not very open about ambitions before Evangeline’s death because she was too embarrassed to tell people that she wanted to be a writer. Still, she had plans to move to New York from California and to study creative writing.

After Evangeline’s...