56 pages • 1 hour read
Mary KubicaJust the Nicest Couple
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
Family Homes
Content warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual assault, violence, and murder.
The family homes of Nina and Jake, Christian and Lily, and Nina’s mother symbolize the respective family values and expectations each character places concerning patriarchal gender roles. Each home represents a divide in Appearance Versus Reality in Marriage.
Jake and Nina’s home represents how the couple operates within patriarchally defined gender roles. The house exudes wealth, giving the impression that a happy, successful couple occupies it. In reality, Jake and Nina are anything but happy. Jake is uncompromising and controlling in all parts of his marriage to Nina, including the design of their house and the possessions they keep. For example, Jake insists on keeping a firearm—a phallic symbol in itself of violence—in the house even when Nina objects. Jake expects Nina to sacrifice all other parts of her life to be at his beck and call when he arrives home, demonstrating Jake’s patriarchal view about heterosexual, cisgender married women. He dismisses Nina’s wants and needs, including her desire to have children. Even though their large, multi-bedroom home appears suitable for accommodating children, Jake prioritizes his career and values his material possessions over Nina’s happiness.
Christian and Lily’s charming house with a wraparound front porch, modern updates, and beautiful backyard appears to be the perfect establishment for the “nicest couple” and their growing family. Although Christian and Lily struggle to afford their home, Christian knows how much Lily adores the house and feels that it is “an investment and eventually, our decision to buy it will prove fruitful” (60-61). Christian’s outlook about his house represents his marriage values: He will stop at nothing to provide for Lily the life she desires. Also, Christian envisions a future in which he and Lily grow old together. Christian cannot fathom the possibility of a future in which he and Lily are not together, and purchasing a house over their budget demonstrates how thoroughly Christian loves and trusts Lily. Lily is more deceptive and less invested in her marriage to Christian than Christian wants to believe.
The large, uncovered windows in the rear of Christian and Lily’s house symbolize Christian’s limited view within his marriage to Lily. Christian feels vulnerable and explains that, “with almost no window coverings on the back of the house, a public trail just outside our back door, and what’s happened with Jake, we feel more on display than ever” (205-06). Christian cannot see anything outside his windows at night, though he senses danger on multiple occasions. Similarly, Christian senses Lily’s guilt and intense stress after Jake’s attack. Although he operates on limited information about Lily and Jake’s encounter, Christian feels a change in his wife’s demeanor that leaves him on edge.
Nina’s mother’s house symbolizes the life forced upon her when her father abandoned the family. Nina observes of the home:
There isn’t anything particularly charming about the house—it’s barely a thousand square feet, is run-of-the-mill and completely lacks character. It’s everything I hate in home decor: the wall-to-wall carpeting, small windows and clutter. It’s also closed concept, where every room has its own space, separated by walls. There is nothing cohesive about it. And yet, standing here with her, it feels like home. This house reminds me of homemade cookies and childhood Christmases and, in it, I feel safe and loved (251).
Nina’s mother’s smaller, less aesthetically pleasing, more affordable home represents Nina’s mother’s struggle to make ends meet while raising Nina. Had Nina’s father paid alimony or child support, her mother would have been able to afford a nicer dwelling; instead, Nina’s father anticipated that her mother would handle childrearing completely, reflecting patriarchal expectations of women in heterosexual marriages. Nina’s opinions about her mother’s house represents Nina’s mother’s success and resilience in providing a loving, comfortable home for her daughter while overcoming betrayal.
Feeling Watched
The motif of feeling watched represents Nina’s and Christian’s vulnerability within their relationships and foreshadows danger. Both narrators recognize that something is amiss within their marriages, but their limited views prevent them from knowing the whole truth, leaving each character feeling exposed. Returning from a walk, Nina attempts “to breathe, to process what happened. I sink down to the step. Who did I think was following me? What am I afraid of?” (160). Nina tries to brush off the feeling of being followed, rationalizing it with paranoia. While no one happens to be following Nina on this particular occasion, her instincts tell her to be fearful for good reason. Although she doesn’t know it at the time, her husband is dead, her mother is a killer, and she is being stalked by Ryan. Nina’s feeling of being ill-protected is warranted.
Similarly, Christian’s feeling of being watched stems from his guilt for tampering with evidence (the blood in the woods and Jake’s car) in a missing-person case. Christian justifies committing these criminal acts to protect Lily and his unborn child. The unsettled feeling of always looking over his shoulder represents Christian’s instinct that Lily isn’t entirely forthcoming with him. Lily hides parts of herself from Christian, leaving him feeling vulnerable.
Wind
The dreary, windy weather adds to the novel’s suspenseful, frightening mood while representing unwanted changes for each character. Just before finding a GPS tracker on the bottom of Nina’s car, “[a] cool wind sweeps across the parking lot” (181). References to wind, rain, and cold often precede essential plot points in the narrative. For example, Nina observes darkness in her classroom from encroaching gray clouds just before Officer Boone tells Nina that Jake is dead. Nina and Christian feel unsettled by the changing autumn weather, their tone becoming more frightened and guarded while observing the wind and rain. In exhibiting dismay at the weather, the main characters demonstrate their strong instincts in predicting undesirable events yet to come.
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By Mary Kubica
