A Sea of Unspoken Things

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, emotional abuse, and death.

“There was no world without Johnny.”

This quote establishes the fierce, identity-defining bond between James and Johnny. James frames this ideas as an absolute statement, underscoring how central Johnny is to her sense of self. She does not know how to process Johnny’s death because she feels that she has lost part of herself.

“Even when we were kids I knew that Johnny was different. He’d always found comfort in places that others deemed lonely.”

James initially characterizes Johnny through his solitary, introverted nature. He loves the outdoors and thrives in his chosen field of nature photography because he is well-equipped to spend long hours alone in remote locations. In this way, he contrasts with his sister, who is much more comfortable in cities and does not crave the isolation that her brother requires.

“Micah Rhodes had always been an expert in the unspoken, and there was a time when I was one of the few people who knew that language.”

James and Micah have a complicated relationship characterized by subtle intimacy. Both are devoted to Johnny and that devotion adversely impacts them. Johnny is troubled and volatile, and because they are afraid of hurting him, they keep their love secret. Micah’s ability to communicate nonverbally is an asset to them because much of their communication, when Johnny is around, must be clandestine.