In "Last Night in Montreal," Emily St. John Mandel captures the internal struggle of a character who realizes the extent of her journey. She reflects on her long, continuous travels and finds it challenging to envision a different kind of life that involves settling down. The experiences she has accumulated make the concept of stopping feel foreign to her.

As her journey continues, the thought of halting becomes more pressing. This tension between her transient lifestyle and the inevitability of change highlights the difficulty many face when contemplating stability. The narrative illustrates the complexity of choosing between a life of movement and the comfort of rootedness.