This One Summer

“All the kids’ parents except mine were lesbians.”

When Rose and Windy reunite after spending the school year apart, they catch up on everything they’ve done. Windy describes going to a camp called Gaia Circle where she and others learn various types of dancing. She is comfortable telling Rose that most of the parents at the camp were lesbians, and this is the first implication that Windy herself may also be a lesbian. Although it is never confirmed, Windy hints throughout the novel that she is not interested in boys at all. This quote illustrates how Windy challenges The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood (which often demand that women be available for male convenience and pleasure).

“‘I was just like a bean.’

‘At first. Then you became you.’”

Rose looks back on a happier time in her family’s life and recalls collecting rocks on the beach with her father. As she stares at one of these bean-shaped rocks in her hand, her mother Alice tells her that she was once this size. Rose is skeptical, as she is still young but believes her mother and marvels at how much she has grown. Rose’s journey toward adolescence is the most important aspect of the novel’s theme, The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

“Bit strange calling someone you don’t even know a slut.”

After Rose and Windy overhear Duncan’s friend calling Jenny and her friend “sluts”, they go home and repeat this word in reference to the girls. Rose’s mother Alice and Windy’s mother Evelyn overhear this conversation and stop it, explaining that their judgment of people they barely know is uncalled for. Rose continues to call Jenny a “slut” throughout the novel, and it is not until Jenny almost dies that she finally develops a sense of empathy for the teenage girl’s predicament. This quote demonstrates how The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood affect young girls’ views of themselves and other women.

“I know a little about sex.”

Rose is arrogant when it comes to her knowledge of adult topics. She acts as if she already knows everything and simply needs to experience it, and frequently patronizes Windy for not knowing as much as her. After she and Windy discuss the topic of oral sex, Rose admits that she learned about sex in school, but not a lot. In reality, she knows far less than she thinks, and throughout the summer, she slowly learns that these topics are more complicated than they appear. This quote illustrates the novel’s theme, The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

“I guess if Duncan and I got married… we would live in an apartment first. With regular jobs. Then, Then we would get good jobs. And. And he would go to medical school. Um. And I would take time off to have one. Perfect. Baby.”

Rose and Windy play M.A.S.H. and Rose’s game determines that she is going to marry Duncan and live in an apartment. Windy makes fun of Rose for this, teasing her about having a terrible life ahead. However, Rose has a crush on Duncan and sees her result from a more optimistic perspective, instead believing their apartment to be a starting point. She also hopes to have one perfect child to spite her mother, whom she believes is unsatisfied with her as a daughter. This quote illustrates the novel’s theme, The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

“Ten stars and that’s it. No more than ten stars. Maybe eleven. But that’s it.”

Rose and her father have grown apart since the family has been in conflict. Evan is entangled in his relationship issues with Alice and spends less time with Rose than he used to. After Rose hears her parents fighting, Evan attempts to console her by taking her for a walk along the beach and gazing at the stars. The juxtaposition of light and darkness in the sky above them is an example of how this recurring motif helps illustrate the mood of a given scene.

“Last summer she stopped. Trying or whatever. But they still fight about it. Like it’s still there.”

Rose’s perception of Alice’s struggles is only partially accurate and does not paint the full picture of why Alice is in such a deep state of despair. Rose judges her mother harshly and assumes Alice is simply dissatisfied with her. She believes Alice wants another child because she herself is not enough and wonders why her mother cannot simply get over it and move on. She notices the way her mother’s depression affects her marriage as well—illustrating The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness.

“When I first came to Awago I was scared to swim in the lake. Then my mom taught me how to open my eyes under the water.”

Rose’s memories of a simpler time in her life are positioned alongside the strife of the present and showcase the contrast between how things were and how they are now. In one such memory, Rose recalls her mother helping her overcome her fear of the lake. Alice is attentive and careful with Rose in this moment, easing her out of her nervousness one step at a time. Rose misses the person her mother used to be, and longs for the days when she was the center of Alice’s attention. This quote illustrates the novel’s theme, The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

“When you float like that you look like a dead person.”

In this scene, Rose floats face-down in the water without moving. Her hair hangs down her face, and she appears to be dead. Windy finds the image disturbing, and it leads to a conversation about people the girls know who have died. The younger admits to knowing someone who drowned recently. This exchange foreshadows the night of Jenny’s attempted suicide at the novel’s climax.

“You guys must have nerves of steel, man. You don’t think this stuff is scary?”

Duncan observes Rose and Windy as they rent various horror movies that are too violent for their age. He knows the girls are too young, but allows them to rent the movies anyway, not caring about the effects it might have. At one point, Duncan comments on how brave the girls must be to watch these movies, which only solidifies Rose’s assumption that watching them makes her mature.

“Aunt Jodie said she will never have kids because she is too much of a kid herself. Uncle Daniel is always trying to give me beer. So maybe he shouldn’t have kids.”

Rose observes the adults in her life and whether or not they live up to the standards that she deems acceptable for adulthood. She finds that most of the adults around her disappoint her, and her aunt and uncle are no exception. Rose’s aunt claims to be too childish to have children, and Rose’s uncle constantly swears, offers Rose beer, and fails to empathize with Alice. Throughout the summer, Rose comes to the realization that adulthood is not as easy and simple as she thought, thus demonstrating The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

“It’s a GODDAMN COTTAGE. SUPPOSED to be a time we can all chill out and have fun. But OH NO, not Alice.”

When Alice reluctantly joins her family at the beach, Uncle Daniel fixates on her unwillingness to go swimming. He is unaware of the reason behind Alice’s decision, and pressures her to go in the water. When he tries to pull her up by her arm, Alice pushes him to the ground and storms off. Daniel becomes irate and starts yelling about how Alice is ruining a relaxing vacation at the beach. Evan later accuses Alice of the same thing, and Rose does as well. This is an example of The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness.

“That girl is way too young to have a baby.”

Rose becomes extremely judgmental of Jenny after learning the teenage girl is pregnant and that her baby may be Duncan’s. She adopts a harsh attitude, calling Jenny sexist slurs and claiming she deserves what she gets. Rose also thinks that Jenny is too young to have a child, judging her without even knowing her. Windy takes offense to this comment, and believes that even if Jenny does not want the baby, she can give them up for adoption, much like Windy herself was. Rose judges this notion as well, claiming she would never give a baby up for adoption. In this way, Rose figuratively leaves Jenny without options, illustrating how The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood influence her opinion of others.

“When my mom is mad at my dad, because my dad won’t do something, or forgets to do something, she says, ‘You can say what you want, Evan, but I’m not holding my breath’.”

Rose thinks back on her swimming instructor and how he is able to hold his breath for four laps by tricking himself into thinking he is breathing when he is not. She compares this to her parents’ arguments and the way her mother seems to have lost faith in her father, showing how she pays close attention to what her parents say to each other—and that their arguments have a strong impact on her.

“Obviously my family is not going to be building any more rock walls. Or anything else. I’m too old for that stuff now anyway.”

Rose thinks back to previous summers at Awago Beach with her family, when she was younger, and her mother was not depressed. These were happier and simpler times, and Rose felt much more connected to both of her parents then. She examines a collection of rocks that she and her parents collected a few years prior. They piled the rocks on the porch, symbolizing their solidarity as a family. The rocks are now a disorganized mess, and Rose believes her family has become the same way. This quote also illustrates the graphic novel’s theme, The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness.

“I’m just saying. It sort of seems like every bad thing that happens in this movie happens because of a girl. Did you notice that?”

Horror movies are a recurring symbol in the story. In this ironic quote, Rose comments on the way these movies perpetuate The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood but does not realize that this is the issue she is witnessing. Instead, Rose sees the women in horror movies as unintelligent and the cause of every disaster. She thinks they should be able to avoid trouble and take care of themselves. This attitude is representative of how Rose views her mother and Jenny as well.

“When I was little Dad said it had to rain at least three out of ten days at the cottage. Or the lake would dry up. He said it was to make sure we didn’t have too much fun.”

One of Evan’s signature traits is his jokes, and this is something Rose thinks of often when she recalls moments with her father. On a rainy day, Rose thinks about her father’s humorous, optimistic attitude toward seemingly negative events. The juxtaposition between light and darkness, happiness and misery, is a recurring motif.

“Why are you even HERE? You don’t swim and you won’t even come to the beach! IF you hate it so much, YOU should be the one that goes home.”

Throughout the summer, Rose’s hurt and resentment toward her mother have grown. Alice has been emotionally absent all summer and unable to enjoy herself with her family due to the trauma she experienced the summer before. Finally, Rose blows up at Alice, accusing her of being a bad mother and ruining their vacation. This moment showcases how severe The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness can be, especially within families.

“Some lessons are hard learned, little girl. Certainly no need to be a smartie pants.”

After Rose blows up at her mother, she leaves the house and stomps off to the beach during a storm. She has been overconfident—verging on arrogant—all summer, and here she demonstrates how far this arrogance has taken her. While out in the storm, a man passes by and warns Rose that she could get hurt. Rose acts rudely toward the man, who then lectures her about her poor attitude.

“That’s kind of sexist.”

Although Rose deems herself more mature than Windy, it is often Windy who demonstrates that she knows more about womanhood, fairness, and respect. When Rose starts gossiping about Jenny, insulting her and claiming she is getting what she deserves, Windy asks why Rose dislikes Jenny so much. Rose believes Jenny is foolish for getting pregnant, and wonders why she could not have done something to prevent it. Windy quietly calls out Rose’s sexism, which leads to Rose lashing out at her. This quote demonstrates how The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood affect young girls’ views of their older counterparts.

“You’re not a shitty mom. There are no shitty moms.”

Alice feels weighed down by The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood and the miscarriage she had the summer before. She vacillates between being emotionally unavailable and being angry, and it has a ripple effect on everyone around her, illustrating The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness. When Alice speaks to Evelyn about her guilt in regards to her motherhood, Evelyn assures her that bad mothers do not exist—rather, they are just humans doing their best.

“I wanted to have the perfect picture of Awago in my head. Which I guess is a picture of Awago in the summer. Kind of like this.”

Rose recalls a time when her parents wanted to visit Awago Beach in the winter, and she faked illness to avoid ruining the illusion of her perfect summer home. Awago Beach is a symbol of innocence, childhood, and family for Rose, and she did not want to taint the beach with an image of it frozen and lifeless. At the end of the summer, Rose realizes she’s had many wonderful experiences despite this summer’s troubles, and that she will cherish her memories of Awago Beach forever.

“Is. Cool. Now. I wonder if that means she’ll have the baby. If the Dud called her. Or not. I hope she’s cool. I hope it’s true.”

Throughout the summer, Rose judges Jenny harshly for being pregnant, calling her sexist slurs and deeming the situation Jenny’s fault. Rose is unaware of how The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood affect Jenny’s mental health and ability to hope for the future. After Jenny attempts to end her own life and Rose witnesses it, Rose’s attitude toward Jenny changes. She learns to empathize with Jenny and comes to an understanding about how the circumstances of peoples’ lives are more complicated than they appear on the surface.