Chapter 36 Summary and Analysis: Healing Through Art and Writing
⚠️ 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
A week after her mother Eva forced the breakup with Bash, Audre emerges from a deep depression. She visits the Central Library, where a Carrie Fisher quote — “Take your broken heart, make it into art” — inspires her to begin writing her Stanford application essay, What I Learned This Summer. She also buys art supplies and paints in Prospect Park. There, Reshma finds her via Snap Map. After a tense confrontation, Reshma admits she acted out of loneliness and now believes she is in love with Clio. Audre forgives her partially and asks Reshma to bring Clio to Eva and Shane’s wedding. Later, Audre blocks Ellison’s number and decides to finally talk to her therapist about prom night, feeling ready to let go of the trauma.
Key Events
- Audre spends a week on the couch, crying, having nightmares, and reading breakup self-help books that don’t help.
- She walks to the Central Library and sees a framed poster of Carrie Fisher with the quote: “Take your broken heart, make it into art.”
- Audre starts writing her Stanford essay — a prologue that rejects one-size-fits-all rules and instead shares personal lessons from her summer.
- She buys art supplies and begins painting in Prospect Park as a form of healing.
- Reshma finds Audre through Snap Map and apologizes for her earlier interference in the Bash/Clio situation.
- Reshma admits she is lonely and in love with Clio; Audre forgives her partially and suggests Reshma bring Clio to the wedding.
- Audre blocks Ellison’s number, recognizing that Bash’s punch evened the score, and she decides to discuss prom night with her therapist.
Character Development
Audre experiences a profound shift. She had always given logical relationship advice without understanding real heartbreak. Now she feels the full force of loss, which humbles her and makes her a more empathetic person — a better future therapist. Instead of wallowing, she channels her pain into creativity: writing and painting. She also begins to make peace with her past by blocking Ellison and planning to work through the prom trauma in therapy. Her reconciliation with Reshma shows a growing maturity — she can set boundaries while still offering grace.
Reshma reveals vulnerability for the first time. She admits she interfered because she was bored and lonely, not because she wanted to hurt Audre. Her confession that she’s in love with Clio softens her usual bravado. This marks a step toward genuine self-awareness.
Eva remains off-page, but her absence from apologizing underlines the unresolved tension between mother and daughter. Audre’s anger at Eva lingers, but she focuses on her own healing rather than confronting her mother directly.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Art as therapy: The act of painting and writing become Audre’s ways of processing grief. The Carrie Fisher quote serves as a catalyst, reframing heartbreak as raw material for creation.
Rule-breaking vs. rules: Audre’s essay rejects rigid advice in favor of personal lessons. She acknowledges that her own family history is full of rule-breakers, and that real growth comes from experience, not guidelines.
Letting go of ghosts: Audre uses the horror-movie metaphor of acknowledging a ghost to make peace with it. She sees Bash’s punch as acknowledgment, blocking Ellison as peace, and therapy as letting go. This motif ties together her healing from both the breakup and the prom assault.
Friendship reconciliation: The reunion with Reshma shows that friendships can survive betrayal when both parties are honest. Audre chooses to rebuild the bond slowly, recognizing that she cannot afford to lose more people.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 36 is a turning point for Audre’s emotional arc. It marks the beginning of her active recovery after the forced breakup. Rather than remaining passive, she seizes creative outlets and reconnects with a friend. The chapter also plants seeds for the upcoming wedding, where Reshma will bring Clio, potentially mending another relationship. Importantly, Audre takes control of her past trauma by blocking Ellison and committing to therapy — a mature step that signals her growth. The chapter reinforces that healing is not linear but can be jumpstarted by small acts of courage.
Study Questions
1. How does the Carrie Fisher quote change Audre’s approach to her Stanford essay?
Audre had been staring at a blank screen, unable to write. The quote inspires her to channel her heartbreak into art — she decides to write about her own lived experiences rather than recycling therapy buzzwords. This shift makes her essay authentic and personal.
2. Why does Audre forgive Reshma only partially, and what condition does she set?
Audre still feels betrayed but recognizes that Reshma’s actions came from loneliness, not malice. She cannot fully forgive yet, but she makes a concrete request: Reshma must bring Clio to the wedding. This gives Reshma a chance to prove she has changed and also helps heal another broken relationship.
3. What does Audre mean by “acknowledge its presence, make peace with it, and then let it go” in reference to her prom trauma?
She uses a horror-movie analogy: a ghost loses power once you confront it. Bash’s punch at Ellison acknowledged the injustice. Blocking Ellison brings peace. Talking to her therapist will be the final letting go. Together, these steps help Audre reclaim her agency over the assault.