Surrender Theme of Love

It might be true that only fools rush in, but that rarely stops people from diving into love. And this is totally the case for Gabriel in Surrender: He goes from zero to sixty with his feelings for Evangeline in no time. Man, if only someone would tell him this is foolish…

Oh wait, Finnigan does warn him, but Gabriel doesn't listen. He is dead-set on his feelings for Evangeline, even if she doesn't reciprocate them. But speaking of reciprocation, here's the funny thing about it: Gabriel never gives Evangeline the chance to respond to how he feels, since he's too scared to tell her. So who knows? She might have felt the same way about him. And if he'd opened himself up to love, well, then we just might have a very different book in our hands.

Questions About Love

  1. How do you think Evangeline feels about Gabriel? Is Finnigan right about her feelings, or is Gabriel?
  2. What does Gabriel love about Evangeline? Is he only interested in her because she's the only girl who pays attention to him, or is it something else?
  3. How does love look with the other characters in the book? Do Gabriel's parents demonstrate love for him or Vernon? How about each other?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Gabriel doesn't understand love because his parents never showed him what it looks like.

Even though Finnigan isn't trustworthy, he does know best when it comes to Evangeline. It's clear that she doesn't love Gabriel the way he loves her.