Chapter 21: Lunch Essays — Summary, Themes, 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.

Chapter title: 20. Lunch Essays

Previous chapter: Chapter 20 summary · Next chapter: Chapter 22 summary

Summary

The chapter opens with Greta and her friend Rashmika walking across the university campus, still annoyed by a guest lecture they were required to attend as tutors. The lecture was given by an American speaker on New Zealand literature, and both women found it useless: Rashmika complains that the speaker offered no real literary perspective, just a speech about how New Zealand is less progressive than it thinks it is, using electric buses as an example. Greta adds that the course is fundamentally flawed, since it is called “contemporary” New Zealand literature yet the most recent book on the reading list is from 1978. They note that at least they are still getting paid, though Rashmika is unsure how long that will last.

As they walk under the stone archway, past a long queue for the Hare Krishna lunch, they spot Ell sitting alone on a bench. Greta’s heart jumps at the unexpected sight of her. Ell is waiting for a couple of people from her lab who are in the food line. Rashmika sits on the bench, leaving Greta to sit on the grass in her short skirt. They all eat: Greta has a spinach-and-feta roll from Munchy Mart and a can of Mountain Dew, while Rashmika has rice and saag aloo from a Tupperware container. Ell explains she has been watching presentations all day, and Greta and Rashmika fill her in on the terrible lecture.

Greta’s father, Linsh, then arrives, carrying a cardboard filing box and accompanied by his colleague Erik. Rashmika greets him as “Dr. L.” Linsh apologises to Ell for his “theatrics” the other night, saying he should have waited until the fourth or fifth time she came around before reacting the way he did. Ell brushes it off, saying she had a great time, though she blushes slightly. Greta asks whether her mother was angry when they got home, and Linsh admits she was furious, comparing it to a past incident when he told a fourteen-year-old Casper to drive without a licence to fetch him ice cream from McDonald’s, after he had become excitable from his father’s duty-free liqueurs at Christmas.

Linsh then invites Greta and Ell to lunch sometime to make up for his behaviour. Ell initially demurs, but Rashmika points out it is a free lunch, and Ell agrees. Erik reminds Linsh they have a budget meeting to attend, and the two men stride off. Greta reflects that her father looks too tall out of context, away from his tall family and high-ceilinged house.

Rashmika remarks that Greta’s family are not usually fans of the people she is romantically interested in. Greta protests, explaining that her family simply get overexcited when they meet someone new, because one brother has had the same girlfriend since high school and the other went out with an old friend of their parents, “like he’s a member of the oligarchy.” She then tells Ell that Casper wants them to come for dinner, and Ell jokes that she is being wined and dined all over the place. Greta notes that Casper does not usually have wine, but might offer a beer if he likes someone.

A shadow falls over them, and Rashmika frowns. It is Holly, who greets them and asks Greta for a favour: she needs someone to mark essays for course 102, because she has too much on her plate with her dissertation and other commitments. Holly holds out a stack of about ten essays, and Greta hesitates before taking them, noting that most people in the class will probably hand in late anyway. Holly thanks her, says she is back from Pauanui on Tuesday, and suggests they meet for a drink then to go over things. Greta agrees, and Holly leaves, saying goodbye to Rashmika, who responds with a pointed “Nice to see you” to Holly’s retreating back. When Ell asks who Holly was, Rashmika mutters that she is “someone who’s not getting invited to lunch or dinner.”

Key Events

Greta and Rashmika attend and critique a poor guest lecture on New Zealand literature, noting the course’s outdated reading list.
The two women encounter Ell on a bench, and they share a casual lunch together on campus.
Linsh arrives with his colleague Erik and apologises to Ell for his earlier overreaction to meeting her.
Linsh invites Greta and Ell to lunch to make amends, and Ell accepts.
Rashmika comments on Greta’s family’s tendency to get overexcited about her romantic interests.
Greta mentions that Casper has invited her and Ell to dinner.
Holly asks Greta to mark essays for course 102, citing her dissertation workload, and Greta agrees.
Holly proposes meeting on Tuesday to discuss the marking, and Greta accepts.
Rashmika is visibly dismissive of Holly after she leaves.

Character Development

Greta continues to navigate the overlapping demands of family, friendship, and academic work. Her reaction to seeing Ell—her heart jumping into her throat—shows how much her feelings for Ell have grown, and her willingness to sit on the grass in a short skirt rather than leave suggests she is comfortable making small sacrifices to stay near Ell. Her agreement to mark Holly’s essays, despite having thought she had moved on from tutoring that course, shows both her generosity and her difficulty saying no to academic favours.

Ell emerges as gracious and good-humoured. She accepts Linsh’s apology without making him feel worse, and she agrees to the lunch invitation with a light touch. Her joke about being “wined and dined all over the place” suggests she is beginning to enjoy being welcomed into Greta’s family, even if the attention is a little overwhelming.

Linsh shows a more self-aware side here. His apology to Ell is sincere, and his comparison of his behaviour to the McDonald’s ice cream incident reveals a pattern of well-meaning but impulsive actions that he later regrets. His invitation to lunch is an attempt to repair the damage, and his slightly awkward formality—tapping his heels together as he leaves—adds warmth to his character.

Rashmika acts as a protective and blunt friend throughout the chapter. She is quick to criticise the lecture, quick to encourage Ell to accept the free lunch, and quick to dismiss Holly. Her final muttered comment about Holly not being invited to lunch or dinner signals that she does not trust Holly’s motives, and it hints at a protective instinct toward Greta.

Holly appears briefly but makes an impression. She is busy, slightly presumptuous, and comfortable asking for favours, framing her request around her dissertation workload. Her suggestion to meet for a drink on Tuesday blurs the line between professional and social, and Rashmika’s reaction suggests there may be more history between Holly and Greta than the chapter reveals.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Academic life and its pressures. The chapter is steeped in the rhythms of university life: tutoring obligations, guest lectures, marking essays, dissertations, and budget meetings. The critique of the “contemporary” course with a 1978 reading list points to a broader theme of institutional inertia, while Holly’s request to Greta shows how academic workloads get redistributed informally among peers.

Family apology and repair. Linsh’s apology to Ell is the emotional centre of the chapter. His willingness to admit he overreacted, and his invitation to lunch as a concrete gesture of amends, shows a family that tries to repair its mistakes, even if the initial mistakes are dramatic. The comparison to the McDonald’s ice cream incident reinforces the idea that this is a family with a history of theatrical behaviour followed by regret.

Social obligation and favour. The chapter is full of small social transactions: the free lunch, the dinner invitation from Casper, the favour of marking essays. Greta moves through these obligations with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and Rashmika’s commentary provides a running critique of who is worth the effort.

Friendship dynamics. Rashmika’s protectiveness of Greta, and her pointed dismissal of Holly, highlight the way friendships can act as a filter for who gets access to someone’s life. Her comment that Greta’s family are not usually fans of her romantic interests also suggests a history of complicated family reactions that Rashmika knows well.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a quiet but important turning point in the novel’s emotional arc. It is the first time Linsh directly acknowledges and apologises for his overreaction to meeting Ell, which signals that the family is beginning to accept Greta’s relationship. The invitation to lunch, followed by Casper’s dinner invitation, shows Ell being actively welcomed into the family fold, a significant shift from the earlier theatrics.

The chapter also deepens the reader’s understanding of Greta’s position within her academic and social worlds. She is someone who is asked for favours, who says yes even when she would rather not, and who is surrounded by friends and family who have strong opinions about her choices. Rashmika’s dismissive attitude toward Holly adds a layer of intrigue, suggesting that not everyone in Greta’s orbit is equally welcome, and that Rashmika is keeping watch over who gets close to her friend.

Finally, the chapter’s title, “Lunch Essays,” captures the way the mundane and the significant coexist in Greta’s life: a casual lunch on a bench becomes the setting for a family reconciliation, a new invitation, and an unwanted academic favour, all in the space of a single afternoon.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Greta agree to mark Holly’s essays, and what does this reveal about her character?

Greta agrees to mark the essays for course 102 even though she had thought she had moved on from tutoring that course. She hesitates before taking the stack of papers, but ultimately accepts, noting that most students will probably hand in late anyway. This reveals that Greta is generous and finds it difficult to refuse academic favours, even when they are inconvenient. It also shows that she is willing to absorb other people’s workloads, a pattern that may reflect a broader tendency to put others’ needs ahead of her own comfort.

2. How does Linsh’s apology to Ell change the dynamic between Greta’s family and Ell?

Linsh’s apology is significant because it is the first direct acknowledgment that his earlier behaviour was excessive. By saying he should have waited until the fourth or fifth time Ell came around before reacting, he signals that he now expects Ell to be a recurring presence in their lives. His invitation to lunch, combined with Casper’s dinner invitation, marks a shift from theatrical overreaction to deliberate welcome, suggesting the family is beginning to accept Ell as part of Greta’s life.

3. What does Rashmika’s reaction to Holly suggest about their relationship, and what might it foreshadow?

Rashmika’s reaction to Holly is pointedly cold: she says “Nice to see you” to Holly’s retreating back, and later mutters that Holly is “someone who’s not getting invited to lunch or dinner.” This suggests that Rashmika does not trust Holly and may know something about her that Greta does not, or that she is protective of Greta in ways Greta does not always notice. It may foreshadow tension around Holly’s request, or a future conflict in which Rashmika’s instincts prove to be correct.