Chapter Three: Avery – Summary and 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
Avery secretly smokes a cigarette at the end of her Hampstead garden, disguising herself in a Barbour jacket and gloves. The evening marks the one-year anniversary of Nicky’s death, which Avery has been avoiding. She recalls her childhood as one of six siblings sharing a single bathroom, and her later descent into heroin addiction. After getting clean and moving to London, she met Chiti, who was first her therapist and later became her wife. The chapter follows a phone call from her sister Lucky, who asks to stay, and a tense dinner with Chiti’s brother Vish. Later, in the bath, Chiti reveals she has gained weight and asks directly about having a baby. Avery, still ambivalent about motherhood, agrees to try. After sex, Avery lies awake with returning insomnia, haunted by Nicky’s death and her own secret behaviors.
Key Events
- Avery smokes in the garden, hiding the habit from Chiti with mouthwash and gum.
- Vish and Chiti watch a livestream of Ganishka, Chiti’s mother, giving a Q&A.
- Lucky texts Avery asking to visit the next day; Avery senses something wrong.
- In the bath, Chiti confesses she has gained weight and worries about aging.
- Chiti asks if Avery has changed her mind about having a baby; Avery says “okay.”
- They have sex; afterward, Avery cannot sleep and stares out the window.
Character Development
- Avery: The chapter reveals her secret relapses: smoking and stealing (from charity shops to Bond Street stores). She feels she is “unraveling” and that others do not see her hidden self. Her inner guilt about Nicky’s death—she missed the signs—drives her to compulsive behavior. Her agreement to have a baby is ambivalent, suggesting she will do anything to keep Chiti happy, but she is not truly ready.
- Chiti: Chiti’s vulnerability emerges as she admits she cares about her weight and worries about turning forty. Her desire for a child is clear and unwavering. She is perceptive (she notices Avery’s gum) but willing to accept evasive answers.
- Vish: Chiti’s younger brother provides comic relief and outside perspective, describing the Blue sisters as “the hot one or the scary one.” He also shows his own romantic insecurity.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
- Secrecy and the hidden self: Avery’s smoking ritual—gloves, jacket, mouthwash, gum—mirrors the way she hides her grief and relapse from everyone. The garden shed becomes a symbol of her private, vulnerable self.
- Grief and avoidance: The one-year anniversary is central. Avery cannot mention Nicky aloud, yet every action is shaped by that loss. Her stealing mimics the adrenaline of her former addiction.
- Sisterhood and care: Avery’s role as the big sister who “put her sisters first” conflicts with her own need for help. She pays for Nicky’s empty apartment but refuses to ask her sisters for support.
- The body and change: Chiti’s weight gain and Avery’s flat stomach are contrasted. Avery sees Chiti as beautiful, while Chiti feels her body is becoming unfamiliar. The bathtub scene ties physical change to the question of pregnancy.
- Home as identity: Hampstead represents Avery’s achieved security, but it feels hollow. The garden, the guest room painted emerald, the claw-foot bath—all are carefully curated spaces that cannot contain her turmoil.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the portrait of the eldest Blue sister. While earlier chapters introduced Lucky’s chaos and Bonnie’s rigidity, “Avery” reveals the quiet, professional sibling as someone equally damaged but hiding it behind a mask of competence. Her addiction history and relapse risk are introduced, setting up a major internal conflict. The baby conversation advances the plot toward a potential life change that Avery is not committed to. The chapter also provides essential backstory for Avery and Chiti’s relationship—how it began unethically (therapist and client) and how grief has eroded their harmony.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Avery start stealing again after Nicky’s funeral, and what does she steal?
Answer: Avery steals as a way to regain the adrenaline rush she felt during her addiction. The first item is a prayer book from the funeral. Later she takes small items like a chocolate bar, lipstick, and sneakers, then moves to luxury goods from Bond Street stores. The thefts give her a sense of control and secrecy, mimicking the high of her former drug use. -
What is the significance of Avery’s bathtub habit of making the water “too hot”?
Answer: Avery says she considers a bath real only if she is “struggling to maintain consciousness.” This extreme temperature preference reflects her desire to feel something intense, to test her own limits, and to escape her thoughts. It parallels her earlier addiction and her current self-destructive secrecy. -
How does Chiti’s comment about “you never ask your sisters for help” reveal a central tension in Avery’s character?
Answer: Avery prides herself on being the reliable, responsible sister who pays for Nicky’s empty apartment and handles everything alone. Chiti points out that Avery’s refusal to ask for help isolates her and prevents her sisters from sharing the burden. This tension between self-sufficiency and vulnerability runs throughout the chapter: Avery wants to be needed, but cannot admit her own need for help.