After Ever After

The first five chapters introduce the story’s main characters and themes and highlight the narrative stakes. The story opens with Jeff, the protagonist and narrator, reminiscing about meeting his best friend, Tad, in fourth grade, which suggests that their relationship is long established when the story begins. Jeff’s memory infuses their friendship with history and thus credibility, but it also enables the narrative to highlight the two boys’ common experiences as young cancer survivors. For example, Tad’s first words to Jeff speak to the frustration of being stereotyped while also establishing his characteristically acerbic wit: “Wow, congratulations [on having cancer]! What do you want, a medal?” (3). Tad’s remark appeals to Jeff, who struggles with the tokenization that comes with his diagnosis and longs for a “normal” life. Besides providing exposition, the exchange thus underlines Tad’s importance in Jeff’s life, laying the groundwork for the novel’s ending and its exploration of Dealing with Loss and Grief.

The second chapter then jumps to the narrative present: Jeff preparing for his eighth-grade graduation. Significantly, it is titled “The End,” signaling both that the moment concludes Jeff’s year and that the narrative will eventually loop back to that moment. The novel then references some upcoming plot points to create anticipation, including “the relapse,” a “state testing fiasco,” and “the Great Eighth-Grade Walkout” (4-5). Some of these references also function as red herrings; Jeff’s mention of “the relapse,” for instance, seems to suggest that his own cancer has come back. This sort of narrative misdirection maintains suspense about what will happen next in a narrative told in retrospect. At the same time, the narrative’s structure creates dramatic irony, as the character of Jeff (as distinct from the narrator) knows less about what will happen in eighth grade than the reader does. This frames the events of the story as inevitable, lending further pathos to Tad’s fate.

The following chapters provide further exposition. The journal entry assignment, for example, enables Jeff to explain his medical background and hint at some of The Aftereffects of Cancer Treatment. Significantly, the young boy states that “being a cancer survivor can be a life sentence all its own” (6). This introduces the idea that the “happy ever after” ending that cancer survivors hope for can give way to an uncertain, ambiguous “after ever after.” The conversation between Jeff’s parents reinforces this idea while also serving as characterization that illuminates their contrasting mindsets; Jeff’s mother tends toward anxiety, whereas his father tries to live in the moment.

The opening chapters also flesh out Jeff’s relationship with his parents. Jeff’s decision to hide the school letter from his father implies conflict that goes deeper than a disagreement about math. In fact, Jeff’s relationship with math symbolically mirrors his broader relationship with his father, so throwing the letter away suggests that he is avoiding his issues rather than confronting them. This paves the way for Jeff’s relationship with his father to evolve as the story progresses.

Two other significant people in Jeff’s life—Steven and Lindsey—also feature in the first few chapters, establishing their centrality to the narrative. At first, Jeff only alludes to Steven’s absence, which heightens narrative tension, but he provides more information about him in Chapter 4. Jeff uses planets as a simile for his and Steven’s relationship, suggesting that Steven’s departure has left him feeling off his axis: “Stephen’s relationship with Annette—and with me and Mom and Dad—was like Pluto being a planet. Until it wasn’t” (37). Jeff’s confusion and underlying resentment of Steven foreshadow his emotional journey toward acceptance and understanding. As for Lindsey, Jeff introduces her as the most beautiful girl in the world and therefore foreshadows their upcoming relationship. Lindsey’s immediate overtures of friendship contrast with other people’s behavior around Jeff and Tad, which is often awkward and ostracizing. Jeff resents the social isolation that comes with being chronically ill/disabled, so he is particularly intrigued by Lindsey’s demeanor. However, his insecurities—another artifact of his illness—manifest in doubts that she could really be interested in him.

Finally, this section introduces the end-of-year tests and Jeff and Tad’s pact. Both the tests and the pact set up narrative stakes that the novel’s climax will resolve, though not in a way the characters anticipate. Chapter 2 takes on a different meaning in retrospect, thus further reinforcing the novel’s pathos.