One Summer in Savannah: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, rape, and death by suicide.

In the opening author’s note, Harris says, “[M]y goal was to challenge readers on the definition of forgiveness and what it truly means to forgive” (ix). The primary theme of One Summer in Savannah focuses on the complex nature of forgiveness. Sara must decide whether to forgive Daniel for raping her, Birdie for defending Daniel and campaigning against Sara, and Jacob for breaking his promise to keep Alana’s identity secret. Jacob comes home to try to heal the schisms in his family, and in the process, he must decide whether he can forgive Daniel and Birdie for what they did to Sara and the way they’ve treated him. Sara also struggles with forgiving Sylvia and Hosea for hiding Hosea’s condition from Sara, as her father is very ill. The process of forgiveness for each character is multifaceted and simultaneously limited by the severity of the transgression. Ultimately, the novel argues that forgiveness is not given for the benefit of the perpetrator but rather for the survivor’s ability to heal.

Sara’s initial act of forgiveness is relatively easy for her because of her relationship with Hosea and Sylvia and the intent behind their choice to keep Hosea’s aneurysm secret. Even so, the initial opportunity to forgive shows Sara’s resistance and discomfort when put in a position to see things from a different perspective. Her focus early in the novel is on herself and Alana—more specifically, on her fears, traumas, and losses. Even though her grief and worry over her father is tied to her love for him, it’s almost entirely self-focused, and she can’t see beyond her hurt feelings. The author reinforces this through Sara’s plans to leave as soon as possible rather than seeing her father through the end of his life. The ability to forgive Sylvia and Hosea is the first step toward looking outside of herself and understanding others. That ability to look beyond her pain also allows her to begin to process the pain and heal from it rather than hold onto hurt feelings.

Jacob’s struggles with forgiveness are complicated both by his beliefs and feelings about his family’s actions and by his desire for intimacy and healing within his family. His instinct after Daniel’s incarceration was to go far from his family and change his name. His primary interest was in focusing on his work rather than reaching out and healing the divisions between him and his family. When he returns, he discovers many layers of complexity in the slow process of forgiving his family. Initially, he can talk to Birdie, but her lack of warmth and intense focus on Daniel, along with her refusal to acknowledge his guilt, exacerbates the gulf between them. It’s only Daniel’s cancer that gets Jacob to speak to Daniel at all. For Jacob, forgiveness is a process, and the final step for both his mother and brother is a release of emotion. Once the negative emotions have been released and the core issues have been aired, Jacob can see what he shares with his family and let go of his anger and disgust.

Sara’s choice to forgive each member of the Wyler family for their part in her rape and humiliation is complicated primarily by her love for her daughter and her desire to grow beyond one traumatic event. Alana is both the excuse to avoid forgiving Birdie and Jacob and the reason why forgiveness is necessary. On the one hand, Sara spends most of the novel afraid that Daniel and Birdie will find out about Alana, but on the other hand, Sara knows that she’ll eventually have to tell Alana about her father’s family. The final choice to allow Alana into their lives and claim opportunities for empathy stems from Sara’s role as a mother. She can understand Birdie’s desperation and willingness to do wrong in an attempt to protect her child, which opens the door to forgiving her. With Daniel, Sara cannot fully forgive him, nor does she need to. However, Daniel’s impending death clarifies for Sara that to keep Daniel from Alana forever would rob Alana of the opportunity of closure. Sara’s forgiveness of Daniel does not excuse his actions or create a familial relationship between the two of them. Instead, she lets go of the rage, bitterness, trauma, and pain that has kept her from getting closure. At the end of the novel, forgiveness opens a door for Sara to accept herself and the traumas of her past, which allows her to create a healthier future—not only for herself but also with Alana and Jacob.