Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and pregnancy loss.



The novel’s exploration of life’s unpredictability begins as early as its Prologue, in which a bottle holding a message could “break if dropped a few feet from the ground” or become “one of the most seaworthy objects known to [humanity]” (1). A single mishap could result in the bottle’s destruction, or it could go on to “float safely through hurricanes or tropical storms” (1) and eventually wash up somewhere to begin a different journey, like the bottle Theresa finds. In short, the bottle’s trajectory is unpredictable, as are the circumstances that lead Theresa to find it; likewise, the letter’s effect on her is different from the effect Garrett’s other letters had on other finders. Thus, the symbolism and fate of the bottle, Catherine’s accident, the Happenstance, and Garrett’s death all demonstrate how unpredictable life can be.

Catherine’s death is utterly random, a fluke accident that occurs when an elderly man loses control of his vehicle just as she steps off the curb. Neither she nor the driver of the vehicle could have anticipated it, and if he’d lost control or she’d stepped out two seconds later, the entire accident might have been avoided.