Before We Were Innocent

“Nine years ago I spent my dead grandmother’s inheritance on this cabin beneath the San Jacinto mountains precisely because of its isolation, so that people from my past wouldn’t show up one day just because they were ‘in the area.’”

This passage speaks to Bess’s long-term trauma, for even as an adult, she remains solitary and emotionally scarred by the events in Greece. Having been part of a difficult scandal as a teenager, she struggles to lead a normal life and hopes only to be left alone. In many ways, she has never recovered from the tragedy of Evangeline’s death, and she contrasts markedly with Joni, who has managed to capitalize on the tragedy and turn it into the basis for a personal brand.

“We had all assumed losing Evangeline would be the hardest part. We were all wrong.”

This passage emphasizes the theme of True Crime and Media Distortion. The girls have been vilified in the media for their perceived guilt, and the shock and stress of their prolonged time in the public eye has a profound impact on Bess in particular. Her harrowing experience in Greece reverberates throughout her 20s, and she even forgoes the opportunity of attending college to opt instead for living as a recluse and avoiding the spotlight.

“You are a liar, I tell myself, rolling the word over in my mouth. You were a liar then and you’re a liar now.”

The deliberate tone of Bess’s shame and self-blame in this passage highlights the motif of secrets and the novel’s focus on the complexities of identity and friendship.