At one point in Just Listen, a teenage girl says, "You can't trust anyone." This is a fitting statement because in this book many of the characters feel that they have been deeply betrayed by those that they love. Annabel feels betrayed by Will's assault and by Sophie's rejection; Whitney feels betrayed that Kristen told their family about her eating disorder; Sophie feels that all the girls are coming to steal her boyfriend; and Owen feels rejected when Annabel flees the club and doesn't talk to him again.
There are a lot of toxic hurt feelings floating around, and as the novel progresses it's good to see characters slowly start to make amends with each other and heal.
Questions About Betrayal
- Do you think that Sophie really believes that both Annabel and Emily slept with Will voluntarily?
- Has Clarke actually hated Annabel all these years? How else has she felt toward her?
- Why do Whitney and Kristen start talking again? What is their relationship like by the end of the novel?
Chew on This
Even though Annabel worries that she's done something wrong to betray Sophie, in the end she realizes that Sophie betrayed her (and Emily) by not believing them when they'd been hurt. Sisters before misters.
Throughout the book Annabel keeps assuming that the people who are angry with her won't give her another chance—like Clarke and Owen. But by the end she learns that the people who care about her just want an explanation and apology—just like she does from Sophie.