Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
#gininatin
Rachel's favorite drink is gin and tonic, and in the U.K., she can get this refreshing beverage in a can. It's a comfort food, er, comfort drink, to Rachel: "Tangy and cold, the taste of my first-ever holiday with Tom, a fishing village on the Basque coast in 2005" (1.6). Unfortunately, this thirst for nostalgia causes Rachel to drink to excess. But once she exposes Tom's lies, she realizes she has nothing to be nostalgic for, which helps her quit drinking and start looking forward instead of drowning in her alcohol-soaked past.
Gin and tonic in a can? Here's a poem, from a fan: Rachel drinks them on a train. She would drink them on a plane. She buys four and drinks in a park. She would drink them with a shark. Rachel loves her gin in a tin, but drinking too much is a fight she cannot win.
To explore this puppy a bit more, check out our thoughts on holes elsewhere in this section.