While the title of the book refers to the hard stop and restart of Evvie’s life due to the death of her husband, all the significant characters in the novel—except the deceased Tim—must restart their lives thanks to circumstances beyond their control. Andy’s wife abruptly leaves him after the birth of their second daughter. Similarly, Evvie’s mother, Eileen, leaves Frank in the middle of the night within hours of him purchasing his new lobster fishing boat. Unavoidable change is forced upon Dean when he suddenly loses the ability to throw a baseball accurately. Evvie is loading her car to begin a new life when irresistible change paralyzes her. Beyond the unforeseen but unavoidable change forced upon them, the other common thread they share is they were suddenly brought low at the height of their achievements: whether that’s pitching in the World Series or finally asserting one’s freedom from an abusive relationship.

There is another way to understand the book title, if readers consider that “starting over” implies not just encountering an unforeseen life-changing event but also successfully adapting to the changes resulting from that event. Evvie’s father and Andy both managed to rebound successfully from the loss of their wives.