Maybe Next Time

In its philosophical exploration of what activities create a fulfilling life, the novel illustrates the power of forgiveness and reconciliation to restore relationships. Emma’s pursuit of reconciliation with Dan and her children is a large component of the action, but her ability to forgive and reconcile with Hattie demonstrates Emma’s new emotional maturity and eventually frees her from the time loop.

Forgiveness proves crucial to Dan and Emma’s relationship as their letters to one another reveal that it was already knit together once before. When Dan withdrew emotionally after Poppy’s birth, struggling with grief after the death of his mother and overwhelmed by his feelings of ineptness at handling a newborn, they separated for several months. Dan describes himself during that period as being “the sad single-dad bachelor I knew I never wanted to be” (140) and explains how therapy “released something twisted and messy inside me” (139). His letter dated December 3, 2012, in Chapter 23, describes how much his reconciliation with Emma meant to him after their cautious dates led to his moving back in. Dan phrases this as color coming back into his life after a fog, noting that “shapes are more defined, and colors more vivid” (140).