Behind the Net

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content and mental illness.

While Behind the Net steers Pippa and Jamie along a path of realizing their most cherished ambitions—including rewarding and fulfilling romantic love, a dream they never considered—the plot also reflects on the pleasures to be found in pursuing goals, even when success is uncertain.

Over the course of the novel, Pippa discovers that although a successful music career is her goal, it is making the music that truly matters. She most aptly demonstrates the rewards of following one’s dreams when she acknowledges that even if she doesn’t hear back from music producer Ivy Matthews, she intends to pursue a career writing and performing music. Pippa at one point reflects on the risk of failure and how painful that would be, thinking, “I don’t know if I’m ready to fail hard at something that matters, but there’s a tiny, stubborn part of myself that isn’t ready to give up yet” (242). She understands that being a musician is a less stable career but is willing to take that risk for the reward of doing what she loves. When she’s invited to play at the Filthy Flamingo in front of her parents, who have been encouraging her to pursue a career in marketing, Pippa reflects on her decision to follow what she really loves: “I’m doing this, and I’m going to give it everything, because it matters” (388). She realizes that persistence is just as important as talent if she wants to be a success, but she also turns down the marketing job and switches to music because she loves it. She’s determined to give the music her best effort, in part because she enjoys the applause and appreciation of her listeners, but also for the sheer joy of expressing herself in this medium.

Pippa’s choice to pursue music highlights the same argument the novel makes around romance: The promise of great pleasure and fulfillment can outweigh the risks of failure, which is true for both Pippa and Jamie. Jamie is also a youthful dream of Pippa’s, as established by the high school crush she had on him. Wanting her dream guitar is a longing that unfolds alongside Pippa’s growing attraction to Jamie, signifying the two things she thinks she can’t have (231). However, she finds there is pleasure simply in the wanting. While she’s wary of the heartbreak that could follow if she becomes too attached to Jamie, Pippa’s enjoyment of the sex toy while thinking of him indicates a certain pleasure derived from the fantasy. Jamie initially rejects this indulgence in fantasy, classifying his attraction to Pippa as a distraction. However, as the frequent scenes of sexual intimacy show pursuing Pippa becomes a pleasure in itself. Falling in love with Pippa represents a realized dream for Jamie, one he hadn’t dared acknowledge to himself: “With Pippa, I’ve never felt so complete. Everything I secretly wanted, I have” (374). As with Pippa, it is the pleasure of being together, of pursuing this intimacy, that allows Jamie to overcome his reservations about having what he truly desires.

This message about the pleasure of dreams crystallizes in the scene near the end of the novel when she is singing at the Filthy Flamingo before Jamie, Hazel, and her parents. As she sings a song she wrote about becoming one’s own person, she realizes, “I don’t want to waste a second doing something other than following my passion and purpose” (391). This confirms the novel’s message that, apart from whatever reward might lie at the end, part of the reward is in following the path and enjoying the pursuit.