We Would Never Summary, Characters and Themes
We Would Never by Tova Mirvis is a powerful exploration of family dynamics, guilt, betrayal, and the complicated emotional aftermath of a tragic event. The novel centers on Hailey Marcus, a woman who is reeling from the recent murder of her ex-husband, Jonah, a well-known writer and professor.
Hailey seeks refuge at her brother’s home in Maine, trying to escape the turmoil of her failed marriage, strained relationships, and the unfolding mystery of Jonah’s death. Alongside her personal struggles, she also grapples with her complicated relationship with her mother, Sherry, and the deep-seated guilt that lingers over her family’s actions. As the story progresses, Hailey is forced to confront painful truths about her past, her family’s role in Jonah’s death, and the dark secrets that bind them together. We Would Never is an emotional journey of self-discovery, healing, and the painful process of breaking free from toxic relationships.
Summary
The story begins with Hailey Marcus, who is recovering from a recent divorce from Jonah Gelman, a prominent writer and professor. In 2019, Hailey flees the chaos of her life in West Palm Beach and takes refuge in her brother Adam’s home in Maine.
Hailey is emotionally shattered, dealing with the disintegration of her marriage, strained family dynamics, and the complex relationship she has with her mother, Sherry. As Hailey settles in Maine, she is forced to confront not only her broken relationship with Jonah but also the unresolved tension between her and her mother, as well as the emotional baggage she carries from her past.
Things take a darker turn when Hailey watches a police interrogation video involving Jonah’s ex-wife, where it is revealed that Jonah has been murdered. This moment, both literal and symbolic, forces Hailey to face the full weight of her emotions and the shattering effect of Jonah’s death.
Throughout the novel, Hailey repeatedly watches news clips and interrogation videos, desperately trying to make sense of what has happened. Her grief is complicated by the feeling that she never truly got closure from her marriage and the growing suspicion that her family might be involved in Jonah’s murder.
Hailey’s mother, Sherry, plays a significant role in Hailey’s emotional unraveling. Sherry is deeply involved in the messy divorce proceedings and the custody battle over Hailey’s daughter, Maya.
She desperately tries to offer Hailey emotional support, but often exacerbates Hailey’s feelings of suffocation. Sherry’s intrusive neediness is a constant source of conflict between them, as Hailey struggles to reclaim her independence.
This dynamic reveals the emotional cost of Hailey’s relationship with her mother, and Hailey begins to question how much she is willing to sacrifice for her family’s approval.
As Hailey navigates the fallout from Jonah’s death, she grows closer to her brother Adam. Adam, who lives a quiet life in a remote cabin with his collection of rescued dogs, becomes a grounding presence in Hailey’s life.
His ability to care for the dogs—animals that, like Hailey, are broken and bruised—serves as a metaphor for Hailey’s own healing journey. Over time, Hailey learns to open up to Adam, and their shared bond becomes a key source of emotional support.
The dogs symbolize the emotional labor and redemption Hailey longs for but struggles to find in her own life.
As Hailey heals, she begins to realize that her complicated feelings toward her family are rooted in a deep-seated need for emotional clarity. While grappling with the dissolution of her marriage, Hailey’s understanding of her family’s role in Jonah’s death becomes more tangled.
The gradual revelation of her family’s involvement in Jonah’s murder becomes a pivotal turning point in the story. Hailey uncovers hidden truths about her family’s dark secrets, including the possibility that her father, Solomon, might have been complicit in the murder.
This discovery shakes Hailey to her core, forcing her to confront the fact that her family, though deeply flawed, may have crossed an irreparable line.
The murder and the subsequent unraveling of her family’s dark past also intersect with Hailey’s role as a mother to Maya. As she contemplates her future with her daughter, Hailey’s evolving sense of self and her emotional recovery become central to the story.
Throughout the narrative, Hailey’s journey is one of self-discovery, as she reevaluates her role within her family, confronts her personal demons, and navigates the difficult process of breaking free from toxic relationships. The story focuses on the emotional clarity Hailey seeks, her desire for independence, and her struggle to rebuild her life after the trauma of her failed marriage and the murder of Jonah.
Meanwhile, Nate, Hailey’s brother, is dealing with his own personal and professional struggles. He is a successful dermatologist in Palm Beach, but his success is marred by his complicated relationship with his father, Solomon.
Nate discovers that he has been included in the prestigious Palm Beach Illustrated as one of the top doctors, but the honor is bittersweet, as his father has been excluded from the list for the first time. This omission stirs feelings of guilt and resentment in Nate, who has long sought his father’s approval but never fully attained it.
Nate’s relationship with his father, Solomon, is strained by ideological differences. Solomon, a traditional dermatologist, disapproves of Nate’s push toward cosmetic dermatology, preferring a more conventional approach.
The generational divide between father and son exacerbates their conflict, creating an emotional rift that seems impossible to bridge. This tension is compounded by Solomon’s hidden illness—Parkinson’s disease—which Solomon chooses to keep secret from the family.
The revelation of Solomon’s illness adds another layer of complexity to Nate’s emotional turmoil, forcing him to reevaluate his relationship with his father.
As the narrative progresses, Nate’s emotional struggles deepen. He is caught between his loyalty to his mother, Sherry, and his own moral compass, which is increasingly at odds with his family’s actions.
He becomes disillusioned with his role in the family’s drama, especially as Sherry becomes more desperate to resolve the custody battle and Hailey’s emotional turmoil. Nate’s moral conflict is mirrored in the deteriorating health of his father and the unraveling of his family’s emotional ties.
The novel culminates in Hailey’s emotional breakdown as she confronts the full scope of her family’s involvement in Jonah’s death. She decides to leave her family behind, seeking solace and clarity in the wake of the betrayal.
As Hailey walks away, she is left with a deep sense of loss, struggling to reconcile her love for her family with the horrifying reality of their actions. The story ends on a somber note, with Hailey’s emotional journey still unresolved, highlighting the deep complexities of family loyalty, guilt, and the pursuit of personal freedom.
Characters
Hailey Marcus
Hailey Marcus is at the heart of We Would Never’s emotional unraveling. A woman deeply affected by the dissolution of her marriage to Jonah Gelman, Hailey is also grappling with the death of her ex-husband, which adds complexity to her grief.
In the aftermath of Jonah’s murder, Hailey embarks on a profound emotional journey of self-exploration, moving to her brother Adam’s home in Maine to find solace. Despite this physical relocation, Hailey remains mentally and emotionally ensnared by her past, haunted by her failed marriage and the toxic relationships she has with her family, especially her mother, Sherry.
Her grief is compounded by the emerging suspicion that her family might have been involved in Jonah’s death, leading to a heightened sense of isolation. As she replays news clips and police interrogation videos, Hailey’s quest for answers mirrors her desire for closure, though the truth about Jonah’s murder remains elusive.
This constant oscillation between her longing for family support and her resentment of their overbearing presence illustrates Hailey’s internal conflict and her evolution as a mother and a woman seeking independence. Hailey’s character grapples with the complexity of love and betrayal, ultimately pushing her towards self-exile as she tries to rebuild her sense of identity in the wake of her family’s devastating secrets.
Sherry Marcus
Sherry Marcus, Hailey’s mother, embodies the deeply embedded tension of love, control, and guilt. Throughout We Would Never, Sherry is portrayed as a matriarch struggling to hold her family together in the face of overwhelming emotional turmoil.
She is deeply involved in her daughter Hailey’s divorce and custody battle, often making decisions that she believes are in the best interest of her children, yet they frequently backfire. Her desire to shield Hailey from pain leads her to propose drastic, morally ambiguous solutions, such as paying Jonah $250,000 to allow Hailey to move away with her daughter.
Sherry’s overbearing nature, however, fosters a growing resentment in Hailey, who feels suffocated by her mother’s interference. Simultaneously, Sherry is dealing with the emotional and physical toll of caring for her husband, Solomon, who is secretly battling Parkinson’s disease.
Sherry’s health begins to deteriorate as the weight of her responsibilities becomes too much to bear, mirroring her emotional unraveling. Despite her flaws, Sherry’s attempts to maintain unity within her fractured family reveal her deep love for her children and her yearning to preserve the sense of connection that has long been strained by her own overprotectiveness and her children’s desires for independence.
Solomon Marcus
Solomon Marcus, Sherry’s husband and Nate’s father, plays a significant yet largely passive role in We Would Never. A traditional dermatologist, Solomon’s relationship with his son Nate is strained by ideological differences, particularly around Nate’s interest in expanding into cosmetic dermatology, which Solomon disapproves of.
This divide highlights the generational gap between father and son, as Solomon clings to a more conservative approach to his profession, while Nate seeks to modernize and diversify. However, Solomon’s internal struggles are largely hidden from his family, and it is revealed that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, a secret he has kept to himself for as long as possible.
His decision to withhold this information from his family underscores his unwillingness to confront vulnerability, both physically and emotionally. Solomon’s refusal to adapt to the changing dynamics of his profession and his failure to communicate openly with his family contribute to the tension that defines his relationship with Nate.
His hidden illness becomes an additional layer of stress for Sherry and the family, adding a sense of impending loss to the already fragile family dynamic. Ultimately, Solomon’s character is defined by his reluctance to embrace change, his emotional detachment, and his failure to reconcile with his children.
Nate Marcus
Nate Marcus, Hailey’s brother, is a successful dermatologist who seems to have it all on the surface, yet his professional success and personal life are clouded by complicated family dynamics. Nate’s role in We Would Never is primarily defined by his relationship with his father, Solomon, whose constant criticism leaves Nate yearning for approval that he never seems to attain.
Nate’s decision to branch out into cosmetic dermatology—a move that is rejected by his father—further strains their relationship, exposing the deep-seated tension between them. Nate’s emotional struggles are compounded by his romantic turmoil, particularly with Tara, a woman whose troubled relationship with her partner Kevin causes additional strain.
Despite his professional achievements, Nate’s need for validation drives him into increasingly desperate attempts to prove himself, not just to his father but to himself as well. As the story progresses, Nate becomes more disillusioned with his role in the family’s drama, torn between his loyalty to Sherry and his desire to distance himself from the toxicity that permeates their relationships.
His emotional journey is one of frustration, as he attempts to navigate the complexities of familial love, resentment, and the desire for independence.
Adam Marcus
Adam Marcus, Hailey’s brother, offers a stark contrast to the rest of the family in We Would Never. Living a more isolated life in Maine, Adam seems to possess a degree of emotional detachment from the familial chaos that engulfs his relatives.
He runs a cabin with a collection of rescued dogs, which serve as a symbol of his own emotional labor and redemption. While Hailey struggles with her grief and her fractured relationships, Adam seems to embody a quieter form of healing, offering Hailey a grounding presence when she needs it most.
His ability to care for the dogs, which are broken and abandoned, reflects his own capacity for nurturing and healing, and it becomes a way for him to process his own emotional turmoil. Although Adam is not as deeply involved in the family’s internal conflicts, his interactions with Hailey reveal his own quiet struggles with identity and his role within the family unit.
Through his character, the narrative explores themes of emotional labor, redemption, and the complexities of healing from personal trauma.
Themes
Grief and the Emotional Toll of Loss
Hailey’s emotional journey throughout We Would Never is profoundly shaped by her grief over the end of her marriage to Jonah and the devastating news of his murder. Initially, Hailey is consumed by an overwhelming sense of betrayal and loss, which begins with the dissolution of her marriage and is later intensified by Jonah’s untimely death.
The emotional weight of her grief manifests in her obsessive rewatching of police interrogation videos and news clips, trying to make sense of the circumstances surrounding Jonah’s death. This act of revisiting the past is not only an attempt to find closure but also a form of self-punishment, as Hailey is torn between love and resentment for Jonah.
The grief she experiences is further compounded by the complexity of her relationships with her family, particularly her mother, Sherry, who unintentionally exacerbates Hailey’s feelings of suffocation. Hailey’s internal conflict reflects a larger emotional unraveling, as she struggles to come to terms with both her personal loss and the revelation of dark secrets within her family.
The story highlights how grief can distort one’s perception of reality, leading to emotional isolation and self-questioning. Hailey’s journey is a painful process of trying to heal, confronting the trauma of Jonah’s death, and ultimately reconciling the fact that her family, despite being a source of comfort, may also be a source of pain and betrayal.
Family Dynamics and Emotional Strain
The dynamics within Hailey’s family are central to the narrative, as the story paints a complex picture of familial love, loyalty, and dysfunction. Hailey’s relationship with her mother, Sherry, is marked by tension, as Hailey resents Sherry’s overbearing involvement in her life, particularly regarding the custody battle over Hailey’s daughter, Maya.
Sherry’s neediness and control clash with Hailey’s desire for independence, creating a toxic emotional environment. This tension is further exacerbated when Sherry proposes a drastic solution to Hailey’s problems, offering money to Jonah in exchange for custody of Maya, a plan that Hailey and Nate, her brother, find deeply flawed and destructive.
Sherry’s desperation to keep her family united, coupled with her emotional exhaustion from dealing with her husband’s secret illness, highlights the sacrifices she makes to maintain her vision of family, even as it crumbles around her. Meanwhile, Hailey, feeling trapped by her family’s expectations, is forced to confront her own role in perpetuating these strained dynamics.
The story underscores the emotional toll of family obligations and the difficult choices one must make when trying to balance personal desires with the complex realities of familial ties. Ultimately, the narrative shows that the ties that bind family members together can also be the forces that tear them apart, especially when secrets, guilt, and resentment seep into the fabric of their relationships.
Self-Identity and the Struggle for Independence
A recurring theme in We Would Never is Hailey’s struggle to reclaim her sense of self and independence in the wake of her failed marriage and complicated family dynamics. Throughout the narrative, Hailey is grappling not only with the dissolution of her marriage but also with the realization that her identity has been profoundly shaped by the expectations and control of her family.
Her mother’s overwhelming presence in her life has long defined Hailey’s choices and actions, but as Hailey navigates her personal trauma, she begins to challenge the role her family has cast her in. The cold, isolated setting of Maine symbolizes Hailey’s emotional state—desolate and raw—offering her a physical space to retreat and reevaluate her past.
However, as Hailey interacts with her brother Adam and the rescued dogs, she slowly begins to confront her vulnerabilities, finding a form of redemption and emotional labor that has long eluded her. The story explores how Hailey’s journey of self-discovery is not only about finding independence from her family but also about understanding her own brokenness.
The realization that her family, despite all their flaws and betrayals, will always be a part of her is a painful but necessary step in her evolution. Through this, Hailey learns that true independence is not about severing ties but about accepting her vulnerabilities and finding strength within them.
Secrets, Guilt, and Family Betrayals
The revelation of Jonah’s murder uncovers deep layers of secrecy, guilt, and betrayal within Hailey’s family, ultimately forcing each character to confront the consequences of their actions. Hailey’s grief is entangled with suspicion, as she begins to question whether her family, particularly her mother and father, played a role in Jonah’s death.
This internal conflict grows as Hailey uncovers the truth about her family’s involvement, culminating in the devastating revelation that her father, Solomon, had known about the plan to have Jonah killed and was complicit in it. The weight of this betrayal shatters Hailey’s perception of her family, and she is forced to grapple with the realization that her loved ones, the very people she has always relied on, may have crossed an irreversible line.
The story emphasizes how guilt and the burden of family secrets can poison relationships, eroding trust and loyalty. Hailey’s emotional breakdown and subsequent decision to leave her family reflect the destructive power of these secrets, as she struggles to reconcile her love for her family with the horrific truth of their actions.
The theme of guilt is not just about the physical act of wrongdoing but also the psychological toll it takes on those who are left to carry the weight of betrayal, often in silence. In the end, Hailey’s journey is one of self-exile, as she attempts to navigate her identity in the wake of a crime that has irrevocably altered her understanding of love, loyalty, and family.
The Complexities of Love and Loyalty
At the heart of We Would Never lies the theme of love and loyalty, both of which are tested to their limits throughout the story. Hailey’s love for her family is undying, yet it becomes increasingly difficult for her to reconcile that love with the darkness she uncovers.
The loyalty she once felt for her mother, brother, and father begins to fray as their actions reveal a deeper, more sinister undercurrent of manipulation and betrayal. Sherry’s efforts to maintain family unity, even at the cost of her own health and sanity, reflect the deep emotional toll of trying to preserve familial bonds at all costs.
Similarly, Nate’s own loyalty to his mother and his professional ambitions become entangled in a web of expectations and disappointments, leading him to question what loyalty truly means when it demands personal sacrifice and moral compromise. The theme of love and loyalty is further complicated by the external pressures of societal expectations, as characters struggle to reconcile their private emotions with their public roles.
Ultimately, the narrative suggests that love, while powerful, can sometimes be a destructive force when it is rooted in guilt, denial, and the inability to confront painful truths. The story highlights the idea that true loyalty is not about blind devotion but about the ability to recognize when love is toxic and when it is necessary to step away in order to preserve one’s emotional well-being.