Chapter 9: Heartfelt Words and Warm Embraces – Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
After a grueling hike in stormy weather, Savannah attends a therapy session with Mia. Exhausted and homesick, she finally talks about her older sister Poppy, who died of cancer at age seventeen four years ago. Savannah reveals that Poppy left her a notebook that she has never been able to open. During the session, she decides she is ready to read it. Alone on a rocky ledge overlooking Lake Windermere, Savannah reads Poppy’s first entry — a loving letter urging her to live fully and not let grief consume her. Overcome, she breaks down. Cael finds her; she screams at him, then collapses into his arms. He calms her panic attack with breathing exercises. They share their deepest pain: Cael confesses that his older brother Cillian died by suicide. They sit together on a jetty, holding hands, and Cael reads Poppy’s letter. That night, Savannah researches Cael online, learning he was once a promising hockey player headed to Harvard before his brother’s death shattered his life. She writes her own letter to Poppy in her journal, feeling a fragile sense of relief.
Key Events
- Savannah’s therapy session with Mia, where she admits she has never read Poppy’s notebook
- Savannah reads Poppy’s first entry, a heartfelt letter encouraging her to live
- Cael discovers Savannah crying and she lashes out at him
- Cael holds Savannah through a panic attack, guiding her through breathing
- Cael reveals his brother Cillian died by suicide
- The two share an intimate moment on a jetty as rain falls
- Cael reads Poppy’s letter and confesses he received only seven rushed words from his brother on a discarded hockey ticket
- Savannah researches Cael online and learns about his lost hockey career and Harvard acceptance
- She writes to Poppy in her journal, finding a small measure of peace
Character Development
- Savannah: For the first time in years, Savannah stops running from her grief. She opens Poppy’s notebook, allows herself to cry, and accepts comfort from Cael. Her willingness to share Poppy’s memory and later write to her sister signals a crucial shift from avoidance to active mourning.
- Cael: Cael’s hardened exterior cracks. He admits he is “not okay” and reveals the suicide of his brother Cillian — a truth he has apparently never spoken aloud. His gentle handling of Savannah’s panic attack shows a capacity for tenderness that contradicts his earlier scowling demeanor. The chapter reveals the source of his anger and isolation.
- Poppy (through her letter): Even in death, Poppy’s voice is present. Her letter shows her as loving, perceptive, and determined to help Savannah heal. She knew Savannah would struggle the most and left the notebook as a lifeline.
- Mia: The therapist provides a safe space for Savannah to open up, using gentle questions and the metaphor of grief as a “cherished tattoo.”
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Notebook: Poppy’s journal symbolizes delayed grief and the courage to face painful memories. Reading it becomes a ritual of connection.
- The Jetty and Lake: The secluded jetty offers a refuge where both characters can be vulnerable. The lake’s changing light — rain, then sun, then stars — mirrors Savannah’s emotional journey from storm to tentative hope.
- The “Cherished Tattoo” Metaphor: Mia describes the mark left by lost loved ones as a permanent, meaningful tattoo. This echoes Cael’s own ink, including the broken-heart tattoo on his hand, linking physical ink to emotional scar tissue.
- Shared Brokenness: The chapter emphasizes that two “broken pieces” can support each other. Cael and Savannah find solace in mutual recognition of pain.
- Suicide vs. Illness: The contrast between Poppy’s natural death and Cillian’s suicide highlights different forms of traumatic loss. Cael’s lack of a proper goodbye deepens his suffering.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 9 is the emotional turning point of the novel. Savannah finally reads Poppy’s words — the catalyst for her entire grief journey. Cael’s confession about Cillian humanizes him and establishes the central romantic relationship as one built on shared trauma rather than superficial attraction. The chapter also introduces the motif of writing as healing, as Savannah begins to pen her own letters to Poppy. It sets up the possibility that the Lake District trip might actually help both protagonists begin to heal.
Study Questions and Answers
-
Why does Savannah finally decide to open Poppy’s notebook during this chapter?
She is exhausted from the physical and emotional strain of the trip, homesick, and tired of running from her memories. Mia’s gentle prompting and the serene setting of Windermere make her feel that “maybe I was meant to be here” to receive Poppy’s message. -
How does Cael respond when Savannah screams at him for finding her crying?
He remains calm and non-defensive, holding up his hands and speaking gently. Instead of leaving, he waits until she breaks down, then holds her, coaches her through a panic attack, and later reveals his own trauma — showing that her anger did not scare him away but actually resonated with his own buried feelings. -
What does Savannah discover about Cael’s past when she searches for him online?
She learns that Cael was a star hockey player who had signed to play at Harvard, following his older brother Cillian. Photographs show a smiling, tattoo-free Cael before his brother’s death. The articles confirm he never attended Harvard, implying his dreams collapsed after the suicide.