Characters I Think We've Been Here Before Suzy Krause

Nora: The Reluctant Bride of Déjà Vu in I Think We've Been Here Before

Overview

Nineteen-year-old Nora moves from rural Saskatchewan to Berlin after a painful breakup, hoping a new environment will heal her. Upon meeting Jacob in a coffee shop called Begonia, she experiences a disorienting sense of déjà vu—as if she has known him her whole life. This feeling deepens as the world receives news of a gamma ray burst that will end civilization in two months. Nora's journey from heartbreak to a marriage of convenience, and ultimately back to her family, anchors the novel's exploration of déjà vu and repetition.

Plot Role

Nora is the primary protagonist whose perspective drives the early chapters. Her arrival in Berlin and instant connection with Jacob introduce the central mystery. She also serves as a bridge between the European and Canadian storylines—her flight home reunites the family just before the apocalypse. Her decisions, especially the marriage to Jacob, shape the emotional core of the narrative.

Motivations and Traits

Explicit facts from the text:

  • Nora moves to Berlin to forget her ex-boyfriend Derek.
  • She struggles to book a flight home after the apocalypse announcement.
  • She agrees to marry Jacob so she can legally travel to Canada with him.

Interpretation based on actions:

  • She is drawn by an inexplicable emotional bond, not just logic. Her decision to marry Jacob feels both impulsive and fated.
  • She shows emotional honesty—she admits to herself that she feels more for Jacob than a practical arrangement.
  • She is resilient, adapting to roommates' eccentricities and the end of the world with a mix of humor and vulnerability.

Chronological Arc

  1. October (Chapters 1–5): Nora arrives in Berlin, meets Jacob at Begonia, experiences déjà vu. She learns of the gamma ray burst.
  2. Mid-October (Chapters 6–20): She navigates life with roommates Petra and Sonja, fails at latte art, goes skydiving, and grows closer to Jacob.
  3. Late October (Chapters 21–30): Jacob proposes so they can travel together. Nora agrees, and they marry at the civil registry.
  4. November (Chapters 34–55): After the wedding, Nora and Jacob pretend to have a normal future. She blocks Derek, and her phone service dies. She has a panic attack in Leise Park; Jacob finds her.
  5. December (Chapters 56–64): Nora flies to Canada with Jacob and her cat. She reunites with her mother Hilda and introduces Jacob as her husband—awkwardly. The novel ends with the family together under the threat of the apocalypse.

Relationships

Jacob

The deepest relationship in the novel. Nora feels she has known Jacob all her life. Their marriage begins as a practical solution but quickly develops emotional intimacy. In Chapter 62, during their first kiss, she experiences "déjà vu" again, reinforcing the idea that their bond transcends a single timeline.

Hilda (Mother)

Nora's relationship with her mother is strained by distance. Hilda struggles with Nora's silence during the crisis. When Nora finally returns, Hilda is relieved but confused by the sudden marriage. Their reunion in Chapter 64 is warm but marked by Hilda's protectiveness.

Roommates Petra and Sonja

Petra challenges Nora's notion of reality with theories about time and déjà vu. Sonja is more anxious and eventually leaves for the US. Nora's conversations with an imaginary Petra (in Chapter 53) highlight her internal struggle with the meaning of déjà vu.

Derek (Ex)

Nora's unresolved feelings emerge when she texts Derek after skydiving and later stalks his TikTok. She blocks him when he pressures her for a reply, symbolically cutting ties with her past.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Moving to Berlin – sets the story in motion; leads to meeting Jacob.
  2. Marrying Jacob – enables her to return to Canada; creates a genuine emotional bond that she did not anticipate.
  3. Blocking Derek – frees her from the past, but also leaves her more committed to Jacob.
  4. Choosing to stay with Jacob after he calls their relationship a "fantasy" (Chapter 47) – she insists he should leave but later seeks him out, showing her need for his connection.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Déjà Vu and Repetition

Nora's unexplained familiarity with Jacob is the novel's central mystery. It connects to the déjà vu theme and hints at cyclical time or quantum entanglement—a concept Marlen explains to Hilda. Nora's "pretend" marriage also mirrors the way she pretends the apocalypse isn't happening.

Grief and Mortality

Nora's journey reflects the grief and mortality theme. She copes by focusing on small rituals: coffee, crafting Christmas decorations, and eventually returning home. Her panic attack in the cemetery shows her struggle to accept the end.

Art as Coping

Nora gets a cat tattoo, paints snowflakes, and helps Jacob decorate the city. These activities distract her from the impending doom, tying to the art as coping theme.

Denial vs. Acceptance

Nora oscillates between denial (pretending the marriage is just a formality) and acceptance (admitting she loves Jacob). Her choice to say "I'm just trying to stay grounded in reality" while talking to an imaginary Petra underscores her internal conflict, as explored in the denial vs. acceptance theme.

Family Bonds Under Crisis

Her reunion with Hilda and meeting her extended family (Iver, Marlen, Irene) shows the family bonds under crisis theme. The family gathers at the farm, and Nora's presence strengthens them.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Nora experience déjà vu with Jacob? The novel leaves this ambiguous. It is explicitly stated that she feels she has known him before, though they have never met. A scientific explanation is suggested via quantum entanglement (mentioned by Marlen). An interpretation is that their connection spans multiple timelines or past lives, but the text never confirms this.

2. What motivates Nora to marry Jacob? Explicitly, she wants to return to Canada, and Jacob's father has secured plane tickets. She also feels an inexplicable bond. In Chapter 23, she agrees because she sees it as a good deed and because she is "desperate too." Her internal monologue later reveals genuine affection.

3. How does Nora's phone service dying affect the story? When her service stops (Chapter 53), she loses contact with her mother and Jacob. This forces her to rely on face-to-face communication and deepens her isolation. It also serves as a symbol of the world's decay.

4. Does Nora truly love Jacob, or is it convenience? Interpretation: Both factors exist. The marriage begins as convenience, but by Chapter 62, she experiences déjà vu during their first kiss and feels she cannot go the rest of her life without him. Explicitly, she calls him "the love of her life" in her internal thoughts. So the novel suggests genuine love.

5. What is the significance of Nora's cat and cat tattoo? The real cat provides comfort and a sense of home. The tattoo is an impulsive decision (Chapter 14) that represents permanence in an impermanent world. When the cat scratches the tattoo, it reinforces the idea that some connections—like her bond with Jacob—cannot be erased.

For more insights, see the ending explained and questions and answers pages.