The Ex Hex

Erin Sterling

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 5

Chapters 6-9

Chapters 10-14

Chapters 15-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-26

Chapters 27-30

Chapters 31-35

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Love and Friendship as Sources of Strength

Vivi draws strength from her significant relationships, which in the beginning of the novel include only her cousin Gwyn and her aunt Elaine. She feels secure in her connections with them because they embrace the materialistic side of witchery to which she also gravitates. For Vivi, occasionally dipping into “witchy stuff” like a spell to reheat tea or detect plagiarism strikes her as uncomfortable when she is on her own, but with Gwyn and Elaine, she feels emboldened to try new spells and push the boundaries of her abilities. In the prologue, Gwyn’s joking suggestion that Vivi hex Rhys after their breakup is clearly not meant to be malicious; she genuinely believes the “pretend” hex will help Vivi vent her frustrations and unburden herself of some of the heartbreak she is experiencing. Gwyn’s humorous encouragement helps Vivi find her footing again after being emotionally devastated, and as adult women, Vivi still turns to Gwyn for advice and assistance. Vivi reciprocates that supportiveness when Gwyn and Jane separate later in the novel. While Gwyn’s relationship is not subject to much narrative attention, it still matters to Vivi, and she jokingly reiterates Gwyn’s suggestion of hexing the ex as an emotional release.

In Vivi’s relationship with Rhys, their romantic connection draws out some of their very best characteristics. Vivi feels secure with him, but she also feels strong, powerful, and sexy in her own right. In fact, when Vivi recalls their past relationship, she sometimes wonders if “what she’d really fallen in love with that summer was the version of herself she was when she was with him” (208). Loving and being loved by Rhys marked a significant transition in Vivi’s life, from adolescence to adulthood, and their relationship helped her enter that new stage feeling like the best version of herself then. Their rekindled relationship expands her support network, allowing her to become the best version of herself now. Rhys also benefits from their relationship, as Vivi’s love and friendship helps Rhys shed his invulnerable façade and become emotionally receptive. He finds strength in embracing vulnerability, and by opening himself up to Vivi, he realizes that while his support network may not include the same kind of loving family she grew up with, his network does include Vivi and her family by extension. He can still have “warmth and love and home and all the things [he] hoped [his own family] might be, but had never been,” and he is able to experience that because Vivi’s love shows him how to see vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness (252).

Unintended Consequences

The novel’s plot springs from the unintended consequences of two young women performing a “joke” hex to help one of them recover from a breakup. Ultimately, those consequences spiral out of control and adversely affect the magic running their entire town. The theme of unintended consequences recurs throughout the novel, especially as the curse spreads through the ley lines and magic becomes increasingly volatile. Vivi seeks to help herself heal by casting the hex on Rhys as a joke: “[W]e were just being drunk and stupid. No attempt at actual magic was being made” (94). Instead, the hex calls upon her ancestor’s power and creates a potent curse that threatens Rhys’s life. The specific language of her hex does not call for Rhys to be harmed or put in danger, but once Aelwyd Jones’s power intercedes, the curse takes on her intention of revenge against Gryffud Penhallow’s descendants. The theme of unintended consequences also extends beyond the circle of main characters, such as when the young barista with a potions side-hustle accidentally inflicts full-body rigor on a customer who sought a magical version of Viagra. The barista only intends to help people with her magic, but as the town’s magical energy changes, her spells have adverse effects she cannot possibly foresee. Although the café episode is humorous, it has serious undertones: the man could have just as easily died from the unstable potion.

Perhaps more significant to the narrative than the unintended consequences themselves are the ways in which each character navigates those unexpected outcomes to bring the story to its resolution. What strengthens their relationships and furthers their individual character development is not whether they failed or how something went wrong, but what they do in the face of that adversity. Vivi is determined to save Rhys’s life and undo her original curse because she is not the type of person to actively wish harm on someone else. She has a clear sense of right and wrong, and she knows that regardless of any past or present emotions, saving Rhys’s life is the right thing to do. In the case of the young barista, she swears off her potion-making business after the café incident. She recognizes that she lacks the experience and expertise to ensure her spells are safe, and she further realizes that there were possible outcomes she never even considered, a sure sign she needs to become more knowledgeable about the risks and dangers of unregulated magic like her potions.

Second Chances

A common theme in romance novels, especially in romantic comedies, is the giving of second chances. Typically, the romantic leads endure some kind of misunderstanding (like Rhys’s betrothal) that fractures their relationship, but one or both persons decide to keep pursuing the relationship because of their growing compatibility and mutual affection. In The Ex Hex, most of the romantic plot revolves around Vivi and Rhys reuniting after nine years, rekindling their connection, and Vivi ultimately making the decision to give Rhys a second chance. When they are first sexually intimate, Vivi thinks to herself that things will be different between them this time, because they have to be. While their sexual encounters are just as intensely passionate as they were in the past, a lack of mutual trust stands in the way of giving their relationship a second chance. Their relationship will not be different this time if they do not learn to trust one another, which requires that they show each other that they genuinely care. Rhys’s rakish attitude makes Vivi think he is the same charming, shallow man he was before, and Vivi’s clear distrust in the present causes Rhys to think she never trusted him at all.

Ultimately, giving or receiving a second chance hinges on the giver’s trusting and having faith in the person who committed a wrong against them in the past. This also requires the giver to grant themselves permission to try again, since their own past behavior was likely part of the initial problem. Just as Vivi gives Rhys a second chance after he broke her heart, she must also extend the same faith to herself and believe that she can experience love, pleasure, and security again, and that she is worthy of a relationship that makes her feel strong. Although Rhys is the recipient of a second chance, he must treat himself with the same grace and allow himself to become vulnerable in a way that he was not the first time around. Rhys’s second chance to himself involves becoming emotionally open with Vivi, and while this new openness puts him at risk of being heartbroken—which is terrifying for anyone—it also allows him to fully connect with Vivi in the present, making their relationship stronger, happier, and healthier than before. She is able to trust him because he trusts her with himself.