Chapter 13: With Nalla Close By

Warning: This summary contains spoilers for Chapter 13 of Camino Ghosts.

Summary

Diane’s fundraising pays off as three foundations award a combined $1.5 million, letting her contract archaeologists for the Dark Isle cemetery digs. Meanwhile, she creates a direct‑mail campaign featuring Lovely’s photo and story, pulling in over $400,000. Diane defers law school again and hastily forms a board of directors—Steven, Bruce, Gifford, Mercer, and Naomi—without informing them. A legislative push in Tallahassee to fund a memorial fails, reinforcing Diane’s belief that private money is more reliable.

The Passage receives rave early reviews, prompting Viking to print 125,000 copies. Bruce insists on a launch party on Camino Island, selling tickets that bundle a signed book and a Nalla Foundation donation. At the beach amphitheater, Mercer speaks, then introduces Lovely Jackson. Lovely reads from her own story about Nalla and the survivors of the slave‑ship wreck, mesmerizing the crowd. The team next flies to Washington, D.C., for a sold‑out event at the Howard Theatre, where Lovely again steals the show. She and Mercer are interviewed by The Washington Post’s Jonathan Yardley. Lovely endures her first flight, then swears off airplanes forever, though she clearly enjoys the spotlight.

On Dark Isle, the archaeological team finishes the first dig with 38 graves processed—remains exhumed, cleaned, photographed, and reburied in metal coffins. The brutal heat and panther‑filled nights drive many workers back to Santa Rosa hotels. Lovely visits the island twice, sitting under canopies while the team works; everyone wants a photo with her. She asks Diane if she can be buried among her ancestors, and Diane explains the county ordinance restricting burials to registered cemeteries.

The Passage hits #4, then #2, and finally #1 on the nonfiction list. Mercer endures a grueling 40‑city tour. In her author’s note, she pitches the Nalla Foundation, inspiring readers to send nearly $90,000. Then tragedy strikes: Lovely suffers a severe stroke that leaves her left side partially paralyzed. After hospitalization, rehab, and a move to an assisted living facility, she declines steadily. Mercer visits, finding Lovely tearful and barely audible. Lovely thanks Mercer for making her people famous. Mercer and Thomas leave for Ole Miss, suspecting it is goodbye. On September 28, Lovely dies at 82—the last descendant of Dark Isle’s enslaved community.

Following Lovely’s written instructions, her body is cremated and the ashes placed in a cherished African vase. Over Thanksgiving, Mercer, Thomas, Diane, Miss Naomi, and Ronnie secretly return to Dark Isle. Thomas digs a hole in the corner of the cemetery where Lovely believed her family lay, and they bury the vase, fulfilling Lovely’s wish to rest “with Nalla close by.”

Key Events

Diane obtains $1.5 million in grants and $400,000 from a direct‑mail campaign.
The Passage launches to stellar reviews, and the Camino Island party draws a huge crowd.
Lovely reads her Nalla story at the launch, upstaging even Mercer.
The Washington, D.C., event sells out, and Lovely and Mercer are interviewed by Jonathan Yardley.
The archaeological team processes 38 graves and begins a second dig.
Lovely asks Diane about being buried on Dark Isle.
The Passage reaches #1; Mercer’s book‑tour schedule stretches to 40 cities.
Readers donate nearly $90,000 to the Nalla Foundation.
Lovely has a major stroke, is moved to assisted living, and never fully recovers.
Mercer makes what she believes is a final visit; Lovely dies on September 28.
Lovely is cremated; over Thanksgiving, her friends secretly bury the ashes on Dark Isle, near where her family rests.

Character Development

Diane Krug demonstrates relentless momentum: she secures funding, builds the foundation, navigates legal pitfalls, and, though disappointed by the legislature, learns to favor private money. Her confidence grows as the public responds to Lovely’s story.
Lovely Jackson moves from quiet island elder to a celebrity who commands a stage. Yet her sudden stroke strips away that vitality, leaving her tearful and dependent. Her death and the secret burial close her arc with dignity—she becomes part of the very history she protected.
Mercer Mann becomes a bestselling author, but the tour exhausts her. Her emotional visits to a fading Lovely remind her that fame is secondary to human connection. She participates in the burial as a final act of friendship.
Bruce Cable continues as the energetic promoter, anchoring the launch on his turf and reinforcing his role as the book’s champion.
Thomas provides quiet support, accompanying Mercer on travel and symbolically digging the grave, but remains a secondary figure.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Ancestral Reunion and Rest: The title “With Nalla Close By” becomes literal as Lovely’s ashes join her ancestor’s resting place. The chapter frames death not as an end but as a homecoming.
The Power of Storytelling: Lovely’s reading hypnotizes a large audience, proving that personal testimony can galvanize support more effectively than any grant proposal. The book’s success amplifies this, making Lovely’s heritage nationally known.
Private vs. Public Effort: The failed legislative bill contrasts with the grassroots funding surge, illustrating that individual donations and private foundations can be more reliable than government action.
Mortality and Legacy: Lovely’s stroke and death emphasize physical decline, but the careful reburial of the cemetery remains and the vase burial show that legacy endures through deliberate acts of remembrance.
Transformation of Dark Isle: The island shifts from a cursed, overgrown wilderness to a scientifically excavated memorial. The cleared land, canopies, and indexed graves turn it into a site of reverence and ongoing work.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter functions as the emotional and narrative crescendo of the novel. It ties together every major thread—Diane’s foundation work, Mercer’s book, the archaeological digs, and Lovely’s personal story—before delivering a poignant conclusion. Lovely’s death and secret burial provide closure while honoring the central promise of the title: that she would rest with Nalla. The chapter also validates the investment of the previous chapters; the grants, the launch party, and the book tour all converge to fund and publicize a mission that began with one old woman’s tale. Without this chapter, the novel would lack the catharsis that makes the struggle for the memorial meaningful.

Study Questions and Answers

How does the chapter illustrate the advantages of private funding over government funding for the Nalla Foundation?
The Tallahassee bill dies twice despite political backing, whereas Diane’s private pitches yield $1.5 million in grants and a direct‑mail campaign raises $400,000. Later, The Passage readers send nearly $90,000 simply because they were moved by the story. The contrast shows that voluntary, emotionally driven private support can be more flexible and immediate than legislative appropriations.
Why is Lovely’s onstage reading of her own story at the launch party a pivotal moment?
Until that night, Lovely’s history existed mostly in told fragments. Her reading transforms a personal memory into a public, shared experience. The crowd’s reaction reveals the raw power of her voice and gives authenticity to the entire project. It also humanizes the slave‑ship survivor Nalla, making the cemetery and memorial feel urgent to the audience.
What does the secret burial on Dark Isle represent for the surviving characters and for the novel’s themes?
The burial fulfills Lovely’s final wish and physically unites her with Nalla, echoing the chapter’s title. For Mercer, Diane, and the others, it is a quiet act of loyalty that bypasses bureaucratic obstacles. Thematically, it completes the circle of remembrance: Lovely, who spent her life protecting the island’s stories, now becomes part of the land she saved.

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