“Gripped” Relationships: Jon Anderson & Chantal Kagelli

We continue our character relationship series with Jon Anderson and Chantal Kagelli whose relationship ends up being at the center of most drama that occurs in the two book series. This is true even years after their confusing breakup. But it didn’t start out dramatic—not at all. Jon and Chantal came together as kindred spirits, sharing the same values, hopes, and dreams. When their relationship was centered on their mutual faith, it was rock solid. However, problems set in when Jon was swayed away from his own convictions by his desire to fit in with his friends. Chantal believed it was just a phase and stood by him as he figured out what mattered most to him, but the lack of open communication between them led to a situation that was confused for a breakup. Yes, they never actually broke up. It was all a giant misunderstanding that many different people were wrongly blamed for throughout the books—Alyssa, Cathy, and Jason, to name a few. There are many great lessons learned from Chantal and Jon’s relationship: one being the importance of being equally yoked, two being the high value of honest communication, three being the trouble that comes from shutting people out without allowing them to explain their side of the story, and four being that bad company corrupts good character. Although Chantal and Jon dated for less than a year, their love for each other remains constant throughout both book series. Many people hope they’ll end up back together in the long run, now that Jon has figured out what is most important to him and Chantal has learned the truth about their non-breakup.