The lake house that January inherits from her dad acts as a metaphor for January’s emotional baggage. At the beginning, the house itself is something she wishes didn’t exist. Walking around the house reminds her of all the negatives she’s experienced in the last year of her life, stemming from her dad’s death. Within the house, she must deal with constant reminders of her dad’s affair, which has broken her normally romantic worldview and caused her to suffer from writer’s block.

As she works through the household items, donating and selling them room by room, her inner turmoil begins to heal. January begins to regain her love of life and her writing momentum. With every room she empties, she works through more of her baggage. By the end of the book, when January has emptied the house and is ready to sell it, she is also ready to move on from her emotional slump and learn to love again with Gus.