Julian Torres: The Friend Who Demanded More

Overview

Julian Torres—called simply Torres throughout the novel—is Nathaniel Phelan’s closest friend and fellow Special Forces operator. More than a teammate, Torres functions as Nate’s conscience, the one person who refuses to let him hide from his own desires or his trauma. While the story centers on Nate and Izzy’s decade‑long push‑pull, Torres is the catalyst who repeatedly forces Nate to confront the truth: he wants a life with Izzy, but his fear and guilt—not his duty—are what hold him back. By the second half of the book, Torres appears even after his death, a haunting embodiment of the friend Nate cannot stop talking to. His dog tag, which Nate carries on every mission, becomes a physical symbol of the honor and self‑honesty Nate owes him.

This analysis draws only on the chapter outlines and evidence provided; any claims about Torres’s inner life are inferred from his dialogue and actions as shown in the text.

Plot Role

Torres appears first as Nate’s ride to the airport in Tacoma (June 2017), where he teasingly calls out Nate’s habit of living in a “gray area” with Izzy (chapter 20). He is present on the tarmac in Kabul when Nate discovers his protectee is Izzy (chapter 1), and later urges Nate to focus during the evacuation (chapter 30). In a pivotal scene outside the behavioral‑health clinic at Fort Bragg (chapter 32), Torres—now dead—speaks to Nate, urging him to walk through the door and get help. That scene marks the moment Nate finally admits he has been talking to a dead friend, a confession that launches his genuine recovery.

Across the narrative, Torres serves three functions:

Best friend and sounding board: He is the only person Nate fully trusts, the one who calls him on his evasions.
Moral compass: He repeatedly pushes Nate to commit to Izzy and to leave the military when it’s no longer what Nate truly wants.
Posthumous catalyst: After his death, Torres’s voice continues to guide Nate, most powerfully at the clinic door and in the truck during Nate’s crisis in New York (chapter 26).

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Torres is driven by two core motivations: loyalty to Nate and a clear‑eyed understanding of what makes a good life. He never hesitates to speak hard truths.

Honesty: In chapter 20, he tells Nate that his “gray‑area thing” with Izzy will eventually “bite you in the ass.” He doesn’t soften the warning.
Ambition with perspective: Torres is proud of passing Special Forces selection (“my old man is going to flip”), but he distinguishes between his own dream and Nate’s. In chapter 30, he flatly says, “doing this was never really your dream. It was always mine.” He is secure enough to admit that Nate’s path may be different.
Empathy and toughness: When Nate is spiraling in chapter 26, Torres’s spectral voice uses logic (“only eight were selected”) to steer him back to Bragg. Yet in chapter 32, his tone is gentler, reminding Nate that the guilt he carries—for Torres’s death or for his own survival—is misplaced.
Selflessness: Torres never prioritizes his own ego. He volunteers to stay with Nate on assignment in Kabul (“Well, I’m with you, like always,” chapter 1), and he devotes his last known conversation to Nate’s future with Izzy, not his own.

Chronological Arc

Torres’s arc is told mostly through Nate’s eyes and spans from 2014 (Tybee Island bar scene) to the post‑Kabul months of 2021.

2014 (chapter 10): Torres and Nate are in the same platoon, drinking and playing pool. Torres is already Nate’s “closest thing to a best friend.”
2017 (chapter 20): Torres drives Nate to the airport for the Fiji trip with Izzy. He questions whether Izzy knows about Nate’s selection to Special Forces, foreshadowing the communication breakdowns that define their relationship.
2021, Kabul (chapters 1, 3, 30): Torres works with Nate on the evacuation mission. He recognizes Izzy immediately and calls her Nate’s “what‑if.” He later corners Nate to demand that he promise to get out for Izzy.
Post‑Kabul (chapters 26, 32): Torres appears only in Nate’s imagination or as a memory—first in the truck outside Izzy’s apartment, then at the behavioral‑health clinic. His death has clearly occurred, though the novel does not depict it. In the clinic scene, Nate confesses he has been “talking to a friend who died four years ago,” confirming Torres’s passing.

Relationships

With Nathaniel Phelan

Torres and Nate share a deep, brother‑like bond built through years of shared deployments and selection courses. Torres knows Nate’s secret dreams—teaching English, marrying Izzy—better than anyone. He is the one person Nate can be vulnerable with, yet also the one whose death Nate cannot process. The dog tag Nate carries throughout the novel is Torres’s, a constant reminder of both his friend’s sacrifice and the debt of honesty Nate owes himself.

With Izzy Astor

Torres and Izzy never share a scene, but her discovery of his dog tag (chapter 31) is a revelation. She had assumed the tag belonged to someone else; realizing it is Torres’s deepens her understanding of the weight Nate carries. The dog tag becomes a symbol of the loss Nate has hidden from her.

With the unit

Torres is respected among the team—Graham, Rowell, and the others accept his leadership and quiet authority. He is the one who organizes the pool game in Tybee, and the one who pulls Nate aside for tough conversations. He is the emotional backbone of the squad.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Torres’s most consequential decisions involve his direct intervention in Nate’s life.

Pushing Nate to make a promise (chapter 30): In Kabul, Torres insists Nate promise Izzy he will get out. Nate resists but the conversation plants a seed. The ultimate consequence is Nate’s decision to leave the military, a choice that leads to therapy and a future with Izzy.
Encouraging Nate to seek help (chapter 32): Even in death, Torres appears at the clinic door. His urging—and Nate’s willingness to listen—results in Nate’s first honest therapy session and his eventual recovery.
Choosing to stay with Nate on leave (chapter 1): Torres volunteers to accompany Nate on the Kabul assignment rather than let him go alone. This decision keeps Nate grounded during the most dangerous part of the evacuation and ensures someone is watching his back.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Communication and Miscommunication

Torres is the embodiment of clear communication. He repeatedly calls out Nate’s evasions, telling him to “make her the promise” and stop living in a gray area. His bluntness contrasts with the miscommunication that often plagues Nate and Izzy. (See communication and miscommunication.)

Military Sacrifice and PTSD

Torres’s sacrifice—whether he dies in combat or from other causes—illustrates the human cost of service. His posthumous role as Nate’s hallucinated guide mirrors the way many veterans carry the memory of fallen comrades. Nate’s PTSD is in part the guilt of surviving Torres. (See military sacrifice and PTSD.)

Love Versus Duty

Torres is the only character who insists that duty should not override love. He tells Nate that the military was “never really your dream” and that he will lose Izzy if he does not choose her. His perspective strengthens the novel’s central question of whether love can coexist with a soldier’s obligations. (See love versus duty.)

Fate Versus Timing

Torres challenges Nate’s passive reliance on fate. He tells him to take the shot rather than waiting for the stars to align. This echoes the novel’s larger theme that true love requires active choice, not mere chance. (See fate versus timing.)

Trauma Recovery

Torres’s final push—toward the clinic door—links directly to the novel’s treatment of trauma recovery. He forces Nate to stop hiding and start healing.

Key Symbols: Torres’s Dog Tag

The dog tag reading “TORRES, JULIAN” appears first in chapter 31, when Izzy finds it on the necklace Nate gave her. She realizes Nate has been carrying it on missions, not just his ring. The tag represents:

The burden of survivor’s guilt.
The unprocessed grief that fuels Nate’s PTSD.
The promise Nate made to his friend to live fully.

Five Book‑Specific Questions and Answers

Why does Torres tell Nate to “make the promise” in chapter 30?
Torres recognizes that Nate’s pattern of leaving Izzy after every reunion is destroying them. The promise—that Nate will leave the military—is the only concrete step that can break the cycle. Torres says it plainly: “I think doing this was never really your dream. It was always mine.”
How does Torres’s death affect Nate’s PTSD?
Nate hallucinates Torres in two key scenes (chapters 26 and 32). He admits to Dr. Williamson that he has been talking to a friend who died four years ago. This unprocessed grief is a central component of his PTSD, alongside the trauma of the plane crash and years of combat.
What role does Torres play in Nate’s decision to get therapy?
Torres appears outside the Fort Bragg clinic and urges Nate to go in, saying he needs to let go of “misplaced guilt” for himself and for Izzy. Nate credits that nudge (even as a mental projection) with giving him the courage to seek help.
Why is Izzy’s discovery of Torres’s dog tag significant?
She realizes she had assumed the tag belonged to a different soldier and that she knew far less about Nate’s losses than she thought. The tag deepens her empathy and strengthens her resolve to wait for him on his own terms.
Does Torres ever speak directly to Izzy?
No. Their only connection is through the dog tag Nate gives her. Torres’s influence reaches Izzy indirectly: his advice to Nate enables Nate to eventually commit to her fully.

Conclusion

Julian Torres is the unsung anchor of Nate’s emotional arc. Through humor, tough love, and even his own death, he pushes Nate toward the life Nate secretly wants—not the one he feels obligated to live. Torres’s voice lingers beyond the page, reminding readers that sometimes the most heroic act a friend can perform is to demand that you stop lying to yourself.

For a deeper look at the novel’s themes, visit the ending explained page or browse our questions and answers section.