Themes This Could Be Us Kennedy Ryan

Healing and Second Chances in This Could Be Us: A Thematic Analysis

The Thematic Claim

In This Could Be Us, Kennedy Ryan argues that genuine healing and second chances require confronting betrayal without letting it define you, embracing solitude as a path to self-love, and trusting that vulnerability can create a foundation stronger than the one that broke. Both Soledad and Judah emerge from failed marriages and painful pasts, learning that recovery and new love demand patience, intention, and the courage to let go of old wounds.

Tracing the Theme Through the Plot

1. The Prologue: Judah’s Divorce and His Son’s Plea

The novel opens with Judah mediating his divorce from Tremaine. Rather than bitterness, he feels relief. The custody plan for their autistic twin sons initially places them with Tremaine during the week. But when Aaron uses his communication device to say “Stay with me,” Tremaine selflessly offers to take the new house, giving Judah primary custody. This moment is a quiet second chance—not for the marriage, but for Judah to prioritize his sons’ needs over his own comfort. It shows that healing can begin with letting go of a relationship that no longer serves everyone involved, and that a child’s voice can redirect a parent’s future.

2. Soledad’s Shattering Discovery and the Machete

Soledad’s healing journey begins when she learns from her doctor that she has chlamydia, proof of Edward’s infidelity. This discovery splits her life into “before” and “after.” In a fury, she takes the family machete—a blade passed down through generations of women—and destroys Edward’s home office. She chops his desk, tears his pool table, shatters the glass of his prized Larry Bird jersey. The violence is cathartic but also symbolic: she is cutting away the shame and hurt that have defined her marriage. Yet even in destruction, she finds a clue—a flash drive hidden in the jersey—that leads to evidence of Edward’s financial crimes. This scene establishes that healing often begins with breaking what no longer serves you, and that pain can be redirected into purposeful action.

3. Reading bell hooks: Soledad Embraces Solitude

Later, Soledad reads bell hooks’s All About Love at the recommendation of her friend Yasmen. When she encounters the phrase “soledad hermosa”—beautiful solitude—she is deeply moved. Her own name mirrors the concept. She places the book on the pillow where Edward used to sleep, signaling that she is no longer haunted by the past but dreaming of a future she builds herself. This moment marks a shift from rage toward self-acceptance. Soledad realizes she can be alone without being lonely. The epigraph from Zora Neale Hurston—“There are years that ask questions and years that answer”—reinforces that her period of questioning is giving way to clarity. Healing here is not passive waiting but active reconstruction of identity.

4. The Growing Relationship with Judah

Judah and Soledad’s bond deepens through small acts of care. Judah reads All About Love to interrogate his own male privilege, sends groceries, and supports Soledad’s business ventures. When Adam (Judah’s son) has a seizure and is hospitalized, Soledad rushes to be with Judah, even though Inez warns her. She realizes she loves him. Their intimacy is described as “a shoot bursting through fallow ground”—new growth after long fallowness. The second chance is not a return to innocence but a tender, conscious choice to trust again. Soledad’s earlier healing (therapy, self-love, therapy with her daughters) allows her to enter this relationship whole, not desperate.

5. The Epilogue: Edward’s Disappearance and Full Circle

Near the end, Judah tells Soledad that Edward has fled the country. Soledad feels relief rather than rage. She reflects on her mother’s diaries and the idea that you must love yourself before you can love another completely. She and Judah commit to a future that remains flexible—her daughters, his sons, and the unknown shapes their relationship will take. The theme resolves: second chances are not about erasing the past but integrating it. Soledad’s healing is complete when she can say she has “learned to save my heart for one worthy of it.”

Character and Symbol Connections

  • Soledad Barnes: Her name itself means “solitude.” Her journey from feeling isolated in a bad marriage to embracing “beautiful solitude” and then finding loving partnership embodies the thematic arc.
  • Judah Cross: He begins with a divorce that leaves him relieved but still wounded. His willingness to read hooks, prioritize his sons, and respect Soledad’s pace shows that second chances require personal growth, not just romantic opportunity.
  • The Machete: Inherited from her grandmother, it represents the strength of the women before Soledad. She uses it to destroy Edward’s toxic space and then later rediscovers it as a tool for cutting away shame. It becomes a symbol of controlled power, not blind fury.
  • The Book All About Love by bell hooks: Functions as a guide for both Soledad and Judah, teaching them that love is a choice and an action, not just a feeling. Soledad’s discovery of “soledad hermosa” in the text is a turning point.
  • The Epigraph (Zora Neale Hurston): Frames the entire novel as a journey from asking questions to receiving answers—the essence of healing.

Complexity and Contradiction

The theme is not without its tensions. Soledad’s anger is real and justified; she does not immediately forgive Edward, nor does she pretend to be fine. Her destruction of his office is messy and dangerous (she cuts her hand). Healing includes acknowledging the desire for vengeance. Inez, Soledad’s daughter, resists therapy and blames Soledad for putting Edward in prison, illustrating that second chances can create rifts within families. Soledad must also accept that some wounds—like Edward’s betrayal or Inez’s resentment—may not fully heal but can be managed with love and boundaries.

Judah’s own second chance with Tremaine is tested when his ex-wife’s future involvement in the boys’ lives remains necessary. His relationship with Soledad exists alongside his co-parenting duties, adding complexity. The novel does not suggest a simple happy ending; it shows that healing is ongoing and that second chances must be continually chosen.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. How does the machete function as a symbol of both destruction and renewal in Soledad’s healing journey?
    Answer: The machete is a family heirloom representing strength and lineage. Soledad uses it to destroy Edward’s office in a rage, but that act of destruction leads her to discover the flash drive with evidence of his financial crimes. Later, she reclaims the machete as a symbol of her own power, not just her anger. It helps her cut away shame and begin renewal.

  2. Why does Soledad place the copy of All About Love on Edward’s pillow after reading about “soledad hermosa”?
    Answer: Placing the book on Edward’s pillow signifies that she is replacing the space he once occupied with a new focus: her own self-love and future. The phrase “soledad hermosa” (beautiful solitude) resonates with her name and marks a shift from loneliness to contentment. It is a physical act of reclaiming her bedroom and her life.

  3. How does the epigraph from Zora Neale Hurston (“There are years that ask questions and years that answer”) relate to the theme of second chances?
    Answer: The epigraph establishes that the novel will move through phases of uncertainty and clarity. Soledad’s years of doubt in her marriage are the “years that ask questions.” Her healing, discovery of betrayal, and eventual love with Judah represent the “years that answer.” This framework suggests that second chances come when we have done the work of asking and are ready to receive answers.

  4. What role does Inez’s resentment play in complicating the theme of healing?
    Answer: Inez’s anger toward Soledad for putting Edward in prison shows that second chances are not universally accepted within a family. Soledad must navigate her daughter’s hurt while maintaining her own boundaries. The conflict forces Soledad to practice patience and love without compromising her truth, illustrating that healing requires forgiving not just a partner but also the collateral damage.

  5. In what way does Judah’s reading of All About Love mirror Soledad’s healing process?
    Answer: Judah reads the book to interrogate his male privilege and better understand love as an action. This parallels Soledad’s own reading and shows that for a second chance to work, both people must commit to growth. Judah does not simply offer love; he educates himself and changes his behavior, proving that second chances require reciprocal effort.