What If It's Us

Arthur Seuss is one of two protagonists in the novel. Originally from Georgia, he is staying in New York for the summer, interning at a branch office of his mother’s law firm. His parents are there with him, his mother working in the city while his father searches for a job. Arthur is very precocious, excelling as a student and planning to attend Yale the following year (though this does not happen; instead, he attends Wesleyan University in the Epilogue). However, Arthur also has ADHD, and he struggled in school before he was diagnosed.

At first, Arthur is reticent about living in New York; however, he grows to enjoy the city. His transformation from “I am not a New Yorker, and I want to go home” (3) to “I don’t want to go home” (399) by the novel’s end reveals how much the summer has affected him, not only in terms of his relationship with Ben but also in his own growth. Arthur never dated anyone before Ben and believes they’ll have a legendary love story. Arthur is also emotionally intelligent. For example, he senses at Dave & Buster’s when Ben does not seem as interested as he does. He wants to be wanted, but this also makes him concerned whenever Hudson is mentioned, not completely trusting that Ben is over his ex-boyfriend.