1. Story Statement
A young-ish investment banker must resist the One Who Got Away in order to keep the life she worked so hard to achieve.
2. Antagonist Plots the Point
Jake is N’s lover from the past. He abandoned her to follow his own dream of fame and success. N is gutted and takes years to get over Jake, but finally does. At N’s bachelorette party, she runs into Jake and ends up going down a whirlpool of what-ifs. Jake orchestrates a series of run-ins, in an attempt to woo back N and away from her perfect-on-paper fiancé.
3. Breakout Title
Off-white Lies
Love the Game
4. Comparables
Love the One You’re With- Emily Giffin
Love and Other Words- Christina Lauren
5. Hook Line
After running into the man who broke her, N begins to re-evaluate the life she so carefully built for herself.
6. Other Matters of Conflict
Inner Conflict
N’s inner conflict primarily stems from not really knowing herself. She has created the life she believes she should have including a much desired fiancé; but it is primarily based on safety and appearances. It is comfortable. When Jake reappears she is reminded of the passion they shared and it makes her reconsider if her relationship with Will is passionate enough and if loving each other is enough for a lifetime.
Secondary
Secondary conflicts occur in N’s relationship with her father and her mother. Her dad abandoned her and her mother when she was young- moving away and not sending for them. He stayed peripherally involved but was not a source of love or affection. N seeks to fill this void with the men she is with. In contrast, N’s mother was always there, but she is living her life vicariously through N, and wants to make sure N does not repeat the mistakes she made in her life.
7. Setting
This novel takes place in Toronto, Canada with a brief sojourn to Southern California. The setting is important because various (real) locations are used to show the relationship N has with her suitors. With W, she attends upscale restaurants, his family’s ancestral home, their posh investment banking office and his stark and modern condo. With J, she visits glitzy Beverly Hills residences, limo rides and glamorous locales. Each provides insight into the kind of life she might have if she chooses that guy. And neither is particularly similar to the place she feels most herself- her own cozy apartment.
