An Unlikely Story

The name of Ashlyn’s bookstore is a metaphor for the entire novel on multiple levels. On the surface, it reflects the books that Ashlyn sells, as the rare books could also be “unlikely stories” since the buyers would be unlikely to find the books somewhere else. It is unlikely that Ashlyn would happen to come into possession of the books Regretting Belle and Forever, and Other Lies, but her connections to Kevin and (subsequently Ethan) made it happen. Ashlyn would not have been interested in the two books if she was not a psychometric rare bookstore owner. The fact that she is able to reconnect with Marian, the author of one of the novels, is unlikely as well. Finally, Ethan and Ashlyn, who would not have met otherwise, and Hemi and Belle, who were on track to stay angry with each other for...