Does It Hurt?

Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the novel’s treatment of sexual assault.

Enzo’s primary area of study is sharks, and he later gets a shark tattooed on himself. His explanation for his love of sharks is that he wanted to be like them, but this desire gradually morphed into respect and admiration for them. Though the novel hints, at times, that sharks are representative of Enzo, they are actually a symbol of Sawyer’s power over Enzo, as well as of her power over men more broadly. When Enzo explains that sharks do not like to eat humans, this explanation is paired with Sawyer’s explanation that Enzo is not usually the type of man from whom she would try to steal. Likewise, Enzo fears that Sawyer will “ruin” him if he is not careful, which mirrors his feelings toward sharks that might attack him if he is not sufficiently cautious while handling them.

Though Sawyer sees herself as a cactus, Enzo’s shark tattoo blends his love and respect for sharks and Sawyer, as she more accurately fulfills the traits of sharks that Enzo loves. Like sharks, she is beautiful, graceful, and potentially “deadly,” in the sense that she can steal everything from the men she targets.