The Summer of Broken Rules

The narrative arc’s resolution occurs as Meredith makes the rounds to say goodbye to everyone; with each conversation, she resolves all remaining loose ends and solidifies the reader’s understanding of the many ways in which she has grown and changed during this tumultuous and emotional week. Even her friendship with Luli is ultimately repaired, proving that all relationships can be fixed with time, love, understanding, and forgiveness. Thus, Luli finally accepts Wit as a presence in Meredith’s life; indeed, Luli’s essential aid in helping Meredith to catch up with the departing Wit is a testament to her shift in attitude. Additionally, Meredith’s acceptance of Claire’s loss allows her to realize her own determination not to let her newfound relationship with Wit to slip away, and so she pursues him, knowing that she can no longer be afraid of embracing changes for the better. She does not want to lose Wit and repeat the mistake of cutting someone important out of her life.

Symbolically, Meredith’s request to Luli to help her chase after Wit is representative of Meredith chasing the growth that she has undergone during the week at Martha’s Vineyard. If Wit leaves on the ferry before Meredith can commit to having a long-distance relationship, Meredith risks becoming to the person she was at the beginning of the week. Wit is not only the love interest of this contemporary romance fiction; he also serves as the symbol for Meredith’s growth and healing. She is a better person with Wit, because she is more authentically herself with him than she has been for the past year and a half. When she catches Wit and asks him about New Zealand, she is committing to remaining the person she has become.

One year later, Walther displays the results of a full year of unseen character development when Meredith and her family return to Martha’s Vineyard for a new summer. Meredith and Wit are still dating, with the approval of Michael and Sarah, who comment on Meredith’s Instagram post. She is the happiest she has been since she started dating Ben, because Wit brings out the best in her. Wit is still invited to the family dinner, and he continues to sit in the stool to fill Claire’s spot at the table. The narrative ends with Meredith once again returning to Claire’s victory tree and stating that this year is the year she will win Assassin. Yet significantly, her resolution this year comes from a place of contentment rather than grief; this time, Meredith is aiming to win for herself rather than for the ghost of her sister. She is not trying to be Claire or to fill an unfillable gap in the family. Instead, she wants to win to demonstrate just how far she has come. Although the story ends well before a new winner is declared, the assassin motif presents itself one last time, shifting now to become an unseen opportunity for Meredith to show how she has healed, rather than representing the healing process itself.