What’s Up With the Ending?

At the end of the book, Miracle's chilling at the bus station while waiting for Aunt Casey to pick her up when a nice lady walks up to her and offers her popcorn. Miracle accepts, because seriously, who turns down free popcorn? The act of kindness causes her to meditate a bit on how, contrary to her previous position, love actually might be real after all—in fact, it might be "the truest, realest thing I'll ever know" (30.43). And with that, Shmoopers, our journey with Miracle ends.

Considering that Gigi just ditched her at the bus station after kidnapping her out of the hospital, you'd think Miracle might be pretty traumatized. Instead, her ordeal at the station turns out to not be so bad. The ticket lady lets her use the phone, she makes up with Aunt Casey, gets to talk to Granddaddy Opal, and now a stranger's giving her popcorn (and not in a creepy "stranger danger" kind of way).

It's fitting that a book about a girl who doesn't believe love is real ends with her not only changing her tune, but being showered with kindness by people she doesn't even know. We've been through quite a ride with our girl Miracle, but the ending leaves us pretty sure that she's about to trust and love others in a way she's never been able to before. Yay.