Traditionally assigned to indicate closeness and familiarity, Sandie Jones’s characters use nicknames to symbolize alienation and exclusion. Everyone refers to Pammie by her nickname; however, Emily intentionally refers to Pammie by her formal name to create distance between herself and the woman she dislikes: “I’d now decided to refer to [her] as Pamela, as it suited her better; it wasn’t nearly as friendly or affectionate-sounding. I also happened to know she hated it” (87). The fact that Emily refers to Pammie as Pamela, even though she knows Pammie hates her formal name, demonstrates how powerfully hurtful changing someone’s name can be.

Emily also experiences exclusion when Adam and Pammie refer to Rebecca by her nickname: “I felt a small stab in my chest at that. Suddenly it was ‘Becky,’ and between her, Adam, and Pammie, they had a bond that I could never be a part of” (124). Adam doesn’t intend for Emily to feel alienated when he mentions Becky, unlike Emily’s motivations behind addressing Pamela. All the same, Emily feels left out of a relationship dynamic upon hearing the nickname. Emily desperately wants to be a permanent part of Adam’s family, and knowing how close another woman came to being Adam’s wife unsettles Emily.