We All Want Impossible Things

Edi is Ash’s best friend, who at the beginning of the novel is dying a slow death from ovarian cancer. Since the story is told from Ash’s point of view, the vast majority of Edi’s story remains unknown; however, it is quite clear that Edi is the more practical and grounded of the two friends. She regularly chides Ash for what she sees as flaws or failings, but these comments are never made from a position of judgment; they always come from a place of love and confidence in their friendship.

In contrast to Ash’s character arc, Edi’s arc is almost purely external. Where Ash is changing emotionally and intellectually, Edi is changing because of a rapidly advancing illness. At the start of the novel, Edi’s illness is relatively contained, even though she is hooked up to a catheter in hospice. As the novel progresses, however, her body breaks down, and her mind begins to deteriorate as well. By the end, Edi is hardly capable of forming complete sentences, often gets confused, and can’t verbalize thoughts she wishes to express.

While Edi sometimes expresses sorrow, confusion, and anger at her situation, she seems to have a more sanguine view of mortality than Ash. When she does voice anxieties or frustrations, she almost always ends by affirming her acceptance of her condition, even if she remains deeply unsatisfied that her life is going to end in the way it does.

Belle is Ash’s teenage daughter. A high school junior, Belle glides in and out of the story, appearing mostly at home as a tangential character with whom Ash interacts when she returns from taking care of Edi at the hospice center. She is described as being confident in herself and, at the same time, vulnerable to the typical anxieties and fears of a teenage girl. Sharing a strong bond with her mother, Belle speaks her mind openly to Ash and answers questions truthfully when asked; she is not afraid of what her mother might think of her actions, even when she’s been skipping school or when she expresses her true feelings about Ash and Honey’s separation. In many ways, Belle resembles Edi, particularly in her willingness to tell Ash what she needs to hear rather than what she wants to hear. Uniquely perceptive, she helps Ash to recognize her shortcomings and try to do better.