The Cheat Sheet

The core conflict of the novel is the miscommunication between Bree and Nathan about their feelings for one another. Despite the fact that Bree and Nathan are in love with each other, each of them thinks the other sees them in solely a platonic light. These secret feelings exist in the form of an underlying tension beneath the surface of their seemingly cozy friendship. Since fear of ruining the friendship prevents them from being honest about their feelings, each is left to interpret the other’s behavior in the absence of real information. These interpretations are consistently wrong. Within the first chapter, Bree thinks, “He plucks a maple glazed out of the box and leans down to give me a quick peck on the cheek like he always does. Completely platonic. Brotherly” (12). Even when Nathan gives her physical affection, she reads it as platonic. When he doesn’t give her physical affection, in contrast, she believes that also belies the platonic nature of their relationship. She thinks, “A man who is head over heels for a woman doesn’t keep his hands to himself on movie night for six years straight. And Nathan and I always keep our hands to ourselves” (15).