Seeing Celeste Through Vivian: The connection Between Them

One of the most important parts of Written on Vinyl is that the reader never really sees Celeste in isolation.

We see her through Vivian.

Through Vivians observations, assumptions, frustrations, fascination, and internal spirals. And in a lot of ways, that tells us just as much about Vivian as it does about Celeste. Because the way we interpret other people is never completely objective.

What Vivian notices about Celeste matters. The moment she overanalyzes, romanticizes, misunderstands, or obsesses over all become reflections of Vivian’s own emotional state. So even when the story seems focused on Celeste, it’s still revealing something about Vivian at the same time.

That connection between them became one of the most interesting parts of writing the book.

Why I Don’t Consider Written on Vinyl Dual PoV

At first glance, Written on Vinyl can look like a dual PoV story. There’s Vivians perspective, and then there are memoir chapters that appear to give us direct access to Celeste’s voice.

But those chapters aren’t actually objective glimpses into Celeste. They’re still Vivian’s interpretation of her. That distinction was incredibly important to me while writing the book.

Even in the memoir chapters, the reader is still experiencing Celeste through Vivian’s understanding of her. Through Vivian’s emotions, observations, assumptions and personal bias, because no matter how hard a writer tries, there’s always a part of themselves left behind in the story, even if it isn’t their story to tell. The version of Celeste we receive is shaped by the way Vivian sees her, remembers her, and chooses to tell her story.

Which means the memoir chapters still reveal just as much about Vivian as they do about Celeste. Sometimes more. Because Vivian’s struggle isn’t just understanding who celeste really is.  It’s also figuring out how to write the reality of someone she’s already built mythology around.

That emotional filter interested me far more than writing a straightforward dual PoV ever could, because people don’t experience each other objectively, especially not when emotions are involved.

Vivian’s Internal Dialogue

One of my favorite things about this structure is that it allows Vivian to process herself indirectly. She’s writing Celeste, but in doing so, she’s also exposing her own emotional state without necessarily realizing it.

The details Vivian focuses on are important. The moments she softens, the moments she lingers on. The things she chooses to emphasize, or avoid entirely, all become part of Vivian’s own characterization.

In a lot of ways, the memoir chapters function like emotional projection. They give Vivian a safer way to interact with feelings she might struggle to confront directly. And because the reader understands that these chapters are still filtered through Vivian, there’s an extra layer of tension underneath everything.

We’re not just learning how Celeste became who she is.

We’re learning who Vivian believes Celeste is.

And those two things aren’t always the same.

What’s Coming for Vivian and Celeste

As Written on Vinyl continues, the emotional overlap between Vivian and Celeste only gets messier. The closer Vivian gets to understanding Celeste, the harder it becomes to ignore the parts of herself reflected back in the process.

There’s a vulnerability that comes with understanding someone deeply, because eventually you realize they can start seeing right through you, too.