Maybe Next Time Summary, Characters and Themes
Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major, published in 2023, is a gripping blend of love, loss, and second chances set in modern-day London. The novel follows Emma Jacobs, a literary agent, who finds herself reliving the worst day of her life over and over again—the day her husband, Dan, dies.
Trapped in a time loop, Emma struggles with her grief, questions her life’s priorities, and ultimately seeks redemption in the relationships that matter most to her. It’s a poignant and emotional journey of self-discovery as Emma learns how to reconnect with her family and appreciate the preciousness of time.
Summary
The novel begins with a heartfelt letter from Dan to Emma, written a year after they met in December 2006.
He reminisces about how they first connected on the London tube, capturing his excitement at their blossoming relationship. Fast forward to December 3, 2021, the day of their 15th anniversary.
Emma, overwhelmed with work and household duties, has forgotten to write Dan a letter to mark the occasion. Hurt, Dan takes their dog for a walk, and moments later, Emma hears a crash that changes her life forever.
The story rewinds to earlier that same day, revealing the chaos of Emma’s life. Juggling work as a literary agent, a committee obligation for her children’s old playgroup, and the pressures of family life, Emma is pulled in all directions. She brushes off a lunch invite from Hattie, Dan’s sister and her best friend, and instead focuses on a difficult client meeting.
As the day wears on, Emma remembers her anniversary too late.
After a rushed attempt at a letter for Dan, an argument erupts, and he storms out to walk the dog. Tragically, Dan is hit by a car and killed, leaving Emma to face the shock of his death and the devastation of their children, Poppy and Miles.
However, the next morning, Emma wakes up to a shocking discovery: it’s December 3 again, and Dan is alive. Confused, she tries to go through the day cautiously, hoping to prevent Dan’s death. But despite her efforts, the same tragedy occurs—Dan dies once more.
With each repeat, Emma sinks deeper into despair, powerless to change the outcome. At one point, she even discovers that Hattie is driving the car that kills Dan, adding to her emotional turmoil.
As days repeat, Emma’s frustration mounts. She becomes increasingly disconnected from her responsibilities, ignoring work, quitting the playgroup, and even lashing out at those around her.
But slowly, Emma starts to see things differently. She reconnects with her children, listens to their struggles, and finds solace in repairing her relationships. She also realizes that Hattie is struggling in her own way, and instead of blaming her, Emma offers support.
In one last effort, Emma spends a perfect day with Dan, their kids, and Hattie, even taking them ice skating.
That night, she confides in Dan about the time loop, revealing her painful experience of watching him die over and over. Dan writes her one final letter, acknowledging his inevitable death and reminding Emma of the love they shared. The next morning, Emma wakes up to a world that has finally changed, marking the end of her heart-wrenching cycle.
Characters
Emma Jacobs
Emma is the protagonist of Maybe Next Time, a successful literary agent and mother of two, navigating the complexities of modern-day London. As the novel begins, she is depicted as a woman overwhelmed by work and personal responsibilities, often sacrificing her relationships, particularly with her husband, Dan, in favor of professional commitments.
Her journey throughout the novel is one of self-realization and transformation. As she relives the same day over and over, Emma undergoes a profound internal shift.
Initially, she experiences confusion and frustration, but as time passes, she grows increasingly introspective. Emma realizes she has allowed herself to become detached from her family and what truly matters in life.
Emma’s evolution from a woman who prioritizes external success over emotional fulfillment to someone who reconnects with her loved ones highlights the novel’s themes of love, loss, and the importance of being present. Her character arc is defined by the tension between control and surrender—Emma spends much of the novel trying to save Dan, only to understand that she must instead make the most of the time they have together.
Dan Jacobs
Dan, Emma’s husband, is introduced through his loving and thoughtful anniversary letters to Emma. He appears as a devoted partner who is deeply appreciative of his wife but also feels the strain of her emotional distance.
Throughout the narrative, Dan embodies stability and love, but his death—repeatedly relived by Emma—becomes the central tragedy of the novel. His letters provide a contrast to Emma’s hectic life, revealing his own vulnerabilities, including his loneliness and frustration over her lack of attention.
Dan’s past, including his fall from a balcony that nearly killed him, serves as a metaphor for the fragility of life and relationships. Despite his tragic end, Dan’s character represents the enduring power of love and the importance of communication in marriage.
His final letter, in which he acknowledges his impending death and reassures Emma of his love, offers closure for Emma and underscores the theme of accepting life’s impermanence.
Hattie
Hattie, Dan’s sister and Emma’s best friend, plays a significant role in Emma’s life, though their relationship becomes strained as the story unfolds. Initially, Hattie is portrayed as a supportive figure, but as Emma continues to relive the day of Dan’s death, she uncovers layers of tension in Hattie’s life, particularly related to her unhappy marriage to Ed, a misogynistic man.
Emma’s discovery that Hattie is driving the car that kills Dan adds complexity to their relationship and to Hattie’s character. Rather than villainizing her, the novel reveals Hattie’s emotional struggles, suggesting that she is suffering in her own right.
Through Emma’s eventual compassion toward Hattie, the novel illustrates the power of empathy and forgiveness. By recognizing Hattie’s pain and offering support, Emma begins to heal herself and strengthen the bonds of friendship and family.
Poppy and Miles
Emma and Dan’s children, Poppy (10) and Miles (8), are central to Emma’s emotional journey. Although they initially appear in the background of Emma’s busy life, as the novel progresses, they become more significant as Emma begins to recognize her neglect of them.
Poppy’s struggles with friends and Miles’ need for attention reflect the wider theme of Emma’s disconnection from her family. Their behavior—arguments, outbursts, and subtle cries for attention—mirrors the emotional atmosphere of the household, which Emma, in her initial self-absorption, fails to notice.
Over time, as she relives the same day, Emma learns to slow down and truly listen to her children. She engages with them more thoughtfully, understanding their needs and emotions, which is a critical part of her character development.
In reconnecting with her children, Emma begins to rediscover the joy and fulfillment that comes from family life, which she had previously taken for granted.
Jas
Jas, Emma’s young assistant at the literary agency, provides both a professional and emotional counterpoint to Emma. In many ways, she symbolizes the younger, more idealistic version of Emma—full of enthusiasm for the literary world but still learning how to navigate its complexities.
Jas brings lightheartedness and fresh perspectives to Emma’s otherwise stressful days, even playfully suggesting that Emma’s experience is like Groundhog Day, a comment that helps Emma process her bizarre situation.
As Emma becomes increasingly self-aware, her relationship with Jas shifts. She begins to value Jas’s input more, listens to her opinions on authors, and treats her with greater respect.
Through her evolving relationship with Jas, Emma learns the importance of mentoring and nurturing those around her, further reinforcing the theme of human connection.
Ed
Ed, Hattie’s misogynistic husband, is a more peripheral character, but his presence casts a shadow over Hattie’s life and, by extension, Emma’s relationship with her. His character is not deeply explored, but he serves as a symbol of the toxic relationships and external pressures that Emma has become adept at ignoring.
His controlling and demeaning behavior toward Hattie becomes a point of concern for both Dan and Emma. It illustrates the contrast between the healthy, loving relationship Emma and Dan share and the dysfunctional dynamic between Ed and Hattie.
Ed’s character serves to highlight Emma’s eventual realization of how much she has ignored the needs and pain of those around her, including her closest friend.
Themes
The Intersection of Time, Loss, and Acceptance
One of the most significant and multifaceted themes in Maybe Next Time is the intersection of time, loss, and acceptance, particularly in the context of grief. Cesca Major deftly explores the emotional complexity of reliving the same day over and over after the traumatic loss of a loved one.
Emma’s journey through the repetitive loop of December 3rd, the day of her husband Dan’s death, symbolizes her struggle to confront the inevitability of mortality and the pain of unexpected loss. Time becomes a vehicle for her grief, forcing her to oscillate between futile attempts at controlling fate and the gradual realization that acceptance is the only path forward.
Initially, Emma’s panic and efforts to prevent Dan’s death reflect her inability to process the enormity of her grief, clinging to the illusion that if she could only “fix” the day, she could bring Dan back. However, as the repetitions pile up, Emma’s perspective shifts from trying to change the past to confronting the emotional reality of her loss.
The novel posits that time is not just a chronological sequence but an emotional terrain that Emma must traverse repeatedly, moving through confusion, despair, and eventually, a kind of reluctant acceptance of the inevitability of death and the impermanence of life.
The Emotional Cost of Disconnection in Relationships
At the core of the narrative is a profound exploration of emotional disconnection in relationships, particularly the tension between love and the pressures of everyday life. Emma’s strained relationship with Dan mirrors the strain in many modern marriages, where the constant demands of work, children, and external obligations can erode intimacy and understanding.
The repetitive day forces Emma to confront her own emotional negligence, showing how small actions—or the lack thereof—accumulate into a larger emotional distance between her and Dan. The novel subtly critiques how contemporary life, with its overburdened schedules and relentless pressures, often pushes relationships to the periphery, leaving partners feeling unseen and unloved.
Emma’s realization that she has been neglecting not just her husband but also her children and herself serves as a wider commentary on the emotional cost of disconnection. It’s not simply that Emma is too busy; it’s that she has lost sight of the emotional nourishment that relationships require.
Dan’s letters, filled with reflections on their past, serve as poignant reminders of the love that once flowed freely between them, contrasting sharply with the emotionally distant and transactional nature of their present interactions. The novel suggests that love, while foundational, requires attention and emotional presence to thrive—otherwise, it withers under the weight of neglected moments.
The Psychological Unraveling of Self-Identity in the Face of Repetitive Trauma
Another complex theme that runs through Maybe Next Time is the psychological unraveling of self-identity in the face of repetitive trauma. Emma’s experience of living through the same day repeatedly is not just a fantastical plot device but a profound metaphor for the way trauma can trap individuals in cycles of memory and emotion.
As the days blur into each other, Emma’s sense of self begins to disintegrate. She questions her sanity, struggles with apathy, and becomes increasingly detached from her previous life.
The novel captures the insidious way that trauma rewires the mind, leaving individuals caught in loops of hopelessness, guilt, and self-blame. Emma’s repeated failures to save Dan or alter the course of the day reflect the frustrating reality of traumatic experiences—no matter how hard one tries to move forward, the mind can remain shackled to the pain of the past.
As Emma spirals deeper into despair, Major’s narrative reveals how the repetition of trauma warps time and reality, distorting not just Emma’s perception of events but also her sense of self. The novel, in this way, highlights the psychological cost of unresolved grief, portraying Emma’s fractured identity as a reflection of the emotional chaos that trauma induces.
The Search for Meaning and Redemption Through Acts of Everyday Kindness
An equally intricate theme in the novel is the search for meaning and redemption through acts of everyday kindness, a theme that becomes central as Emma shifts from resisting the repetition of her day to embracing it. After countless failed attempts to change the outcome of Dan’s death, Emma begins to find solace in small, seemingly insignificant acts of kindness—whether it’s giving audiobooks to the café barista or engaging more deeply with her children’s lives.
The novel suggests that while grand gestures or dramatic life changes are often thought to be the path to redemption or fulfillment, it is in the small, everyday moments where true meaning resides. Emma’s arc moves from self-centered obsession with preventing tragedy to a more outward-looking approach, where her attention to others creates ripple effects in their lives and, ultimately, her own.
This redemptive arc is not about Emma’s ability to change the past but about her transformation into a more empathetic and present individual. By focusing on others, Emma discovers a new way to live through the repeated day—not by obsessing over what she cannot change, but by enriching the lives around her through compassion and connection.
The novel uses these acts of kindness as a counterpoint to the grief and chaos Emma experiences, suggesting that meaning in life often emerges not from controlling the future but from how we treat others in the present.
The Burden of Guilt and the Moral Complexity of Blame
A particularly nuanced theme in Maybe Next Time is the burden of guilt and the moral complexity of blame, which Major explores through Emma’s relationship with Hattie and her own internal struggles. When Emma realizes that Hattie is the one driving the car that kills Dan, she is overwhelmed by a visceral need to assign blame, both to Hattie and to herself.
Emma’s initial response to her husband’s death is to search for a culprit, a way to rationalize the unthinkable, but this impulse gradually evolves into a more complex understanding of guilt. Emma’s blaming of Hattie becomes a stand-in for her own guilt over the years of emotional neglect, missed moments, and unspoken words in her marriage.
As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that blame is not a simple, linear concept but rather a tangled web of emotions and moral ambiguities. Emma’s eventual acceptance that neither she nor Hattie can be fully responsible for Dan’s death mirrors her broader acceptance of life’s unpredictability and the limits of control.
The novel delves into how guilt often clouds judgment, leading individuals to cling to simplistic notions of cause and effect in an effort to make sense of senseless tragedy. Ultimately, Maybe Next Time suggests that letting go of blame is not only crucial for personal healing but also for restoring fractured relationships.