Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in When Will There Be Good News?, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma, Survival, and Reckoning with the Past
Appearances vs. Reality
Lies and Deceptions
Family
Summary
Analysis
Jackson wakes up from a dream, finding a nurse who’s brought him a cup of tea. He still can’t remember the train crash, but he remembers who he is. “My name’s Jackson Brodie,” he tells the nurse. He asks her where he is. She explains that he’s in the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. Jackson can’t figure out what he’s doing in Edinburgh. “You must have gone the wrong way,” laughs the nurse. Jackson realizes, panicked, that apparently no one has looked for him. Was Tessa with him on the train? He grabs the nurse’s arm and asks, “Where’s my wife?”
After more rest, Jackson remembers his identity—and not only that, he remembers his wife, who hasn’t been mentioned in the story at all until this point. Even apart from the temporary amnesia, this suggests that Jackson’s heart isn’t entirely with his wife—he’s thought about his exes, and Louise, a great deal more than Tessa. Also, the nurse’s flippant remark echoes the mysterious woman Jackson had seen in the Yorkshire Dales.
Themes
