To start off, it makes sense to analyze the connection between the title and the climax of the plot in this novel. Julie and Stephen are unable to reconnect emotionally because of enormous burdens of their relationship carried through time. For instance, lifelong wounds that are difficult to forgive, and personality differences which often boil down to issues that they cannot resolve through sacrifice. Then, suddenly, something new emerges in their shared Time. A child emerges, as if fate were stoking them to change their minds.
The actual decision to change their mind is a direct signal to the reader that fate is having a conversational effect on their decisions and lives. Stephen can be seen to be an essentially personable and competent moral example; he writes ethical children's literature, for instance. He can also be seen as a cooperative person; he cooperates with a powerful friend in his daily work. But when Julie talks to him, she says that he is different in the context of romantic relationship.
The interesting aspect of the book's dynamic quality is the way that the child brings them together. Because of the timing of the conception, they are forced to reanalyze an already difficult consideration. They conclude that they would spare themselves much suffering by just letting old times stay in the past, but their choice to have sex in such a romantic and passionate way leads to nature reminding them that actually, they do like each other very much after all, and in the context of family sacrifice, they find the suffering of their difficult relationship would be worthy of giving a new generation a chance at a healthy life. This is a portrait of love, because both are sacrificing for the good of the family something that would not be a wise sacrifice if not for love and family.
