Content Warning: This section discusses sexual assault, attempted rape, and stalking.

“If anyone had asked small, delicate, beautiful blond Amanda Delanoe, she would have said she had the perfect life. She had a stylish look, a kind of natural chic which was partially inherited from both her parents, and she also had her own talent for giving everything she touched a special, very individual twist.”

Amanda exemplifies romance novels’ classic “everything but the boy” trope. She possesses all the qualities typically associated with success and desirability—beauty, intelligence, wealth, and career achievements—but remains unfulfilled in her personal life. The description of Amanda’s “perfect life” on the surface contrasts sharply with her inner struggles, highlighting the novel’s theme of Appearances, Perceptions, and Reality. Although she appears to have everything, her inability to form lasting romantic relationships reflects deeper insecurities and unresolved emotional wounds.

“Amanda was given to serious relationships and spent long periods on her own between the men she loved, after the relationships failed for whatever reason. Pascal’s romances were brief and passionate. They rarely lasted more than a few months.”

Pascal serves as a foil to Amanda, who showcases a contrasting approach to love and relationships. While Amanda seeks depth and commitment, Pascal embodies a carefree, impulsive attitude—evidenced by Amanda having “serious relationships” that take “long periods on her own” to heal from compared to Pascal’s “brief and passionate” relationships that “rarely lasted more than a few months.”

“It had been three years since it ended, and she hadn’t had another deeply serious relationship since, and didn’t really want one. She wasn’t bitter, she was cautious, and she no longer fully trusted her own judgment. She’d gone out with several other men but hadn’t fallen in love again. She enjoyed the fact that her life was pain-free now. She wasn’t suffering, sad, or disappointed. She liked having an orderly life, and a man she could count on. There were no candidates offering her that at the moment, and she didn’t really care.”

Amanda’s reflections on The Link Between Love and Marriage reveal a cautious approach to relationships, shaped by past disappointments and a desire to avoid future emotional turmoil. While she values the stability and peace her single life provides, her reluctance to trust her judgment exposes lingering insecurities and unresolved fears about intimacy. Her preference for order and predictability underscores a need for control, which contrasts the unpredictable nature of love.