Click

The word “click” is a homonym for “clique,” and this motif recurs throughout the graphic novel. When Olive first learns about cliques, she doesn’t fully understand the concept. Aunt Molly draws a creative comparison between the two words, emphasizing that a clique forms because its members “click” with each other by bonding over a shared interest or topic. Olive dreams about the word “click,” imagining it as a kind of transformative sound effect that suddenly redefines her identity to make her conform to a specific group. However, the concept of “clicking” with a group of people feels oppressive to Olive, and in the dream sequence, it transforms her in ways that do not honor the different aspects of her personality.

At the end of the novel, when Olive reflects on how she came up with the idea of hosting, she returns to the idea of clicking, telling her friends that the idea “clicked” with her interests and desires. After exploring and researching different ways to interact with the newly formed cliques, Olive finds a solution that suits her unique personality and allows her to meaningfully support her different friends. She realizes that she has learned what it feels like for something to “click” socially, and her true success comes when she decides to chart her own social course.