45 pages • 1 hour read
Tessa BaileyHook, Line, and Sinker
Tessa BaileyFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A 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
Music
Music symbolizes connection in both Bellinger Sisters books. Hannah Bellinger’s love of music is a defining trait and a means for her to establish rapport with other characters. In It Happened One Summer, Fox Thornton and Hannah first connect when he shows her the record shop in Westport, giving Piper and Brendan some time alone. Later, Fox goes with Hannah to a record expo in Seattle. The Fleetwood Mac album that Fox buys for her signals his interest and paves the way for their own romance in Hook, Line, and Sinker.
In their initial text messages, Fox engages with Hannah by asking her for music recommendations and listening to songs together. He buys a record player and then records after Hannah says her ideal guy would have such things. He hides them from Hannah when she visits, showing he’s not ready to reveal his vulnerability or attachment to her just yet. They connect over music when Fox sings one of Henry Cross’s sea shanties for her, the closest Hannah will get to hearing her father’s voice. He chooses the Sound Garden to visit in Seattle because he knows it will hold meaning for her. And when he wants to apologize to Hannah for breaking up with her, Fox plays Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” to communicate his feelings.
Music also tracks Hannah’s individual character arc in that her career goals are arranged around music. She wants to be involved in making music for movies, a dream which Fox knows about and supports from the beginning. When she doubts herself, the songs in her head go away. The songs return when her confidence is restored after Fox sings for her and she feels connected to Henry through his sea shanties. Her connection to Henry through his music motivates Hannah to approach Brinley about the movie soundtrack and eventually get Sergei on board with her vision. In the Epilogue, Hannah has established a successful company called Garden of Sound which connects musicians with movie producers, achieving her dream career.
The Della Ray
Fox describes the Della Ray as “part of the history of this town” (96), meaning Westport. The fishing boat first appears in It Happened One Summer as the boat Brendan inherits from his father-in-law, Mick. Mick was captain of the Della Ray (named for Mick’s wife) when Henry Cross was swept overboard into the freezing waters of the Bering Sea during king crab season. As part of freeing himself from his prolonged grief after his wife’s death, Brendan commissioned a new boat and wants Fox to captain the Della Ray. The change of ownership signals a way for both men to move up and beyond their pasts.
Fox is honored that Brendan would offer him the captain’s position, but feels uncomfortable about the responsibility. Once he dreamed about having his own boat, but his experiences in college made him believe that he can never escape people’s expectations of him. If his crew can’t respect him, they won’t take orders or feel comfortable putting their lives in his hands. Fox loves the boat and spends much of his spare time maintaining and taking care of it, and he proves himself a capable captain during the five-day trip when Brendan gives him the keys.
In the Epilogue, Fox is captain of the Della Ray and secure in that position. The Della Ray and his place upon it symbolize Fox’s level of emotional maturity and the responsibility he is now willing to assume.
Westport
Hannah describes Westport as “moody and misty, set right on the water” (21). The townsfolk have their routines and their legends and are proud of their history and the people they consider their own. Henry Cross was one of their own, and he is closely identified with the town. Hannah says Westport is quaint and has a “weathered” feel when she sells Sergei on the idea of filming there. Westport is small in area, given that the characters walk most places. The harbor dominates the town and can be seen from most of it, including Opal’s apartment as well as Fox’s.
Hannah and Fox both have roots in Westport, the town where their parents grew up, and as such the town symbolizes their pasts. For Fox, it also represents the behaviors he believes are expected of him—not just in working on the Della Ray, but in behaving like his father. Fox has made it a policy not to mess with the daughters, wives, or girlfriends of his crewmates or other townsfolk, which is why he travels to Seattle for his hookups.
Hannah, however, makes him change. In the end, he and Hannah agree to establish their home between Westport and Seattle so they travel equal distances for their careers. Their choice to find a place together represents Fox’s willingness to leave his past behind.
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