In What Happened to Goodbye, Mclean Sweet is pretty jaded to the whole idea of marriage and romance—even though she's only a high school student. She's just seen her parents' seemingly perfect marriage fall apart, and she doesn't trust the institution as much as she once did. While she used to see her parents' relationship as something that would last forever, now she sees that even forever can be destroyed. After her mom runs off with Peter Hamilton, marriage just doesn't seem as shiny and safe anymore—and neither does the family unit.
Questions About Marriage
- Why do you think her mom's marriage to Peter Hamilton is so upsetting for Mclean?
- Do you really think that her parents had a perfect marriage like Mclean thought?
- How do you think Mclean's dad copes with the fallout of his marriage? Do you think he's handling it in a healthy way?
Chew on This
Because of her parents' divorce, Mclean is now highly skeptical about any relationship working out, which is why she keeps Dave at arm's length even though she's falling in love with him.
Mclean's parents think that their divorce only affects their relationship with each other, but in fact it has had some serious effects on Mclean.