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A review by stephtregear
Hitched by Ruthie Knox
4.0
Hitched is a fantastic follow-up of Chained, where we see the characters develop and come to know each other a little more over their car journey. There's also a touch of irresistible romance and denied feelings for each other that keep us engaged and anticipating the third episode!
In Hitched we see Roman make good on his word to Ashley. After she wakes up from having passed out at the end of Chained, Ashley takes Roman to the Airstream caravan that she inherited from her grandmother, much to Roman's disgust. The thing is butt-ugly, and he does not want it to taint the perfection of his Cadillac. But he's made a promise to Ashley, so he hooks up the trailer and they start their journey together... Roman doesn't know where they're going, because Ashley is too afraid he'll break his promise if she tells him they're going to a swamp in Georgia.
On the car journey, Roman and Ashley get to know each other a little more, and although Roman is largely reluctant to divulge his personal life to Ashley, he begins to let his guard down around her. And as readers, we see him as more of a human being capable of understanding human emotions. Knox presents this through fantastically-composed wit and humour, and we see parts of Roman in ourselves. And I think that makes us like Roman a lot more, because Ashley starts to like him too - or perhaps 'tolerate' is a more appropriate word here. Either way, when silly Roman jackknifes the trailer outside Ashley's friend's house, we know that he now trusts her enough to trust that he will be okay here, even if it's the last place in the world where he wants to be.
I have contributed to the Hitched discussion on Ruthie Knox's forum, where I explained the contrasts between Ashley and Roman through the symbols of the Airstream and Cadillac. I think they're great tools for discussion Ashley and Roman's characters, so I'm going to reiterate some of my points here.
Ashley is her inherited Airstream; she's loaded with sealed boxes and old knick-knacks from her past, which no one is really very keen to open. Not Ashley, not Roman. They would both rather deny what's there, or just choose not to look at it because it would be a hassle and an unnecessary waste of their time. But those boxes contain a cherished story. The story of Ashley's life, her connection to her grandmother, and her desperation to hold onto Sunnyvale. Ashley's exterior is far from perfect, with a few dents and scratches to show just how out-of-place she is standing next to Roman. But if we treat Ashley with a little tender love and care, she proves to be strong and reliable, with a sturdy exterior to hold herself together and provide a place of warmth for others.
Roman, on the other hand, is his Cadillac. Tall, dark and handsome with a sinister edge. We can't see through him because he's put up so many shields to protect himself from his past. He craves perfection, and won't settle for anything less. So when he has to hook Ashley's Airstream onto his towbar, it's obvious how much he hates it and how much the two just do not belong together. But he's stuck in this situation, so he becomes greatly vulnerable to Ashley, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or if Ashley doesn't realise this.
It's Roman's smug ego that is really tested in Hitched. He undermines the rest of the world - the non-Cadillac-driving folk, the people who own Airstream caravans. Roman doesn't care for these people, nor does he give them enough credit. These people are just as important to the world as he is, but he refuses to acknowledge this in any way. This becomes most apparent at the end of Hitched when he jackknifes the caravan. He tries to get himself out of this mess, but only ends up in a worse situation. Ashley gets out of the car and heads inside while he continues to make his situation worse - "She had so little faith in him, she didn't even bother closing the door." But it's Roman who doesn't trust Ashley or the people she's taken him to, he doesn't trust that his car will be okay left out in the swamp; he doesn't trust anything that he doesn't know 100%.
Roman is big-headed and too proud to take advice from the non-Cadillac community. But being stuck with Ashley has been good for him, and I think that he's coming to realise that "how the other half live" isn't as bad as he originally thought.
Once again, I must commend Knox on her wonderful, witty writing. She is able to add the perfect amount of humour to the story, whilst keeping up the genuine concern Ashley has for Sunnyvale and her somewhat dire situation. The humour allows Roman and Ashley to really come to life, and in my mind, they are real people, not mere characters. Roman becomes more human in this episode, and I’m intrigued to see where this holiday with Ashley takes him.
In Hitched we see Roman make good on his word to Ashley. After she wakes up from having passed out at the end of Chained, Ashley takes Roman to the Airstream caravan that she inherited from her grandmother, much to Roman's disgust. The thing is butt-ugly, and he does not want it to taint the perfection of his Cadillac. But he's made a promise to Ashley, so he hooks up the trailer and they start their journey together... Roman doesn't know where they're going, because Ashley is too afraid he'll break his promise if she tells him they're going to a swamp in Georgia.
On the car journey, Roman and Ashley get to know each other a little more, and although Roman is largely reluctant to divulge his personal life to Ashley, he begins to let his guard down around her. And as readers, we see him as more of a human being capable of understanding human emotions. Knox presents this through fantastically-composed wit and humour, and we see parts of Roman in ourselves. And I think that makes us like Roman a lot more, because Ashley starts to like him too - or perhaps 'tolerate' is a more appropriate word here. Either way, when silly Roman jackknifes the trailer outside Ashley's friend's house, we know that he now trusts her enough to trust that he will be okay here, even if it's the last place in the world where he wants to be.
I have contributed to the Hitched discussion on Ruthie Knox's forum, where I explained the contrasts between Ashley and Roman through the symbols of the Airstream and Cadillac. I think they're great tools for discussion Ashley and Roman's characters, so I'm going to reiterate some of my points here.
Ashley is her inherited Airstream; she's loaded with sealed boxes and old knick-knacks from her past, which no one is really very keen to open. Not Ashley, not Roman. They would both rather deny what's there, or just choose not to look at it because it would be a hassle and an unnecessary waste of their time. But those boxes contain a cherished story. The story of Ashley's life, her connection to her grandmother, and her desperation to hold onto Sunnyvale. Ashley's exterior is far from perfect, with a few dents and scratches to show just how out-of-place she is standing next to Roman. But if we treat Ashley with a little tender love and care, she proves to be strong and reliable, with a sturdy exterior to hold herself together and provide a place of warmth for others.
Roman, on the other hand, is his Cadillac. Tall, dark and handsome with a sinister edge. We can't see through him because he's put up so many shields to protect himself from his past. He craves perfection, and won't settle for anything less. So when he has to hook Ashley's Airstream onto his towbar, it's obvious how much he hates it and how much the two just do not belong together. But he's stuck in this situation, so he becomes greatly vulnerable to Ashley, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or if Ashley doesn't realise this.
It's Roman's smug ego that is really tested in Hitched. He undermines the rest of the world - the non-Cadillac-driving folk, the people who own Airstream caravans. Roman doesn't care for these people, nor does he give them enough credit. These people are just as important to the world as he is, but he refuses to acknowledge this in any way. This becomes most apparent at the end of Hitched when he jackknifes the caravan. He tries to get himself out of this mess, but only ends up in a worse situation. Ashley gets out of the car and heads inside while he continues to make his situation worse - "She had so little faith in him, she didn't even bother closing the door." But it's Roman who doesn't trust Ashley or the people she's taken him to, he doesn't trust that his car will be okay left out in the swamp; he doesn't trust anything that he doesn't know 100%.
Roman is big-headed and too proud to take advice from the non-Cadillac community. But being stuck with Ashley has been good for him, and I think that he's coming to realise that "how the other half live" isn't as bad as he originally thought.
Once again, I must commend Knox on her wonderful, witty writing. She is able to add the perfect amount of humour to the story, whilst keeping up the genuine concern Ashley has for Sunnyvale and her somewhat dire situation. The humour allows Roman and Ashley to really come to life, and in my mind, they are real people, not mere characters. Roman becomes more human in this episode, and I’m intrigued to see where this holiday with Ashley takes him.