Chapter 33 Summary: Robbie Serenho's Background and Follies Flashbacks
⚠️ 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
During lunch, Bodie googles "Serenho + Portuguese" and finds an obituary for Roberto Ademar Serenho, Robbie’s father, who worked as an electrician and volunteer firefighter—evidence that Robbie came from a working-class family, not the wealthy background the media assumed. She then looks up Robbie’s Facebook profile: he is now a financial planner in Connecticut, married with children, and posts about family, yoga, and social causes like Universal Basic Income. Bodie also searches other Granby alumni—Robin Facer, Mrs. Ross, Max Krammen, Beth Docherty—and reflects that most have become "lovely" adults, contradicting her stereotype of entitled prep-school graduates. A flashback recalls a Follies rehearsal where the teacher (the "you" of the narrative) told singers to perform directly to Bodie, making her the center of attention. The chapter ends with Bodie walking to film class feeling cold and disoriented, unsure what is true about the past.
Key Events
- Bodie googles "Serenho" and discovers Robbie’s father was a working-class electrician.
- She examines Robbie’s public Facebook: he is a financial planner, family man, and political progressive.
- Bodie searches other Granby graduates (Robin Facer, Mrs. Ross, Max Krammen, Beth Docherty, Khristina Gura, Bendt Jensen, Asad Mirza, Rachel Popa, Benjamin Scott, Dorian Culler) and finds they mostly lead successful, admirable lives.
- A flashback to a Follies rehearsal: the teacher instructs each singer to perform to Bodie as their audience.
- Bodie recalls rumors she and classmates believed about ghosts and about teachers' relationships.
- She trudges to film class, burdened by the cold and the weight of her investigation.
Character Development
- Bodie Kane: Deepens her investigation into Robbie’s background, overturning her earlier assumptions. She also reconsiders her own time at Granby, wondering if the school shaped her empathy and tenacity rather than her being innately special. The flashback shows her discomfort at being put on the spot during Follies.
- Robbie Serenho: Revealed as coming from a humble, working-class family; his adult life appears stable and kind, complicating the media’s portrait of a privileged boyfriend.
- The Teacher (Youssef): In the flashback, he uses Bodie as a direct audience for the singers, demonstrating his eccentric teaching method and perhaps a hidden concern for her.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Class and privilege: The chapter contrasts the media narrative of Thalia and Robbie as a "perfect prep school couple" with the reality that Robbie’s family was not wealthy. Bodie notes that Granby families are either rich or on full financial aid, with few in between.
- Memory and truth: Bodie struggles to reconcile what she knew as a teenager with her adult perspective, feeling dizzy and uncertain about what is true.
- Performance and being seen: The flashback about Follies highlights how Bodie was forced into the spotlight, both literally (as audience) and metaphorically (as the focus of others’ songs). This echoes her later role as an investigator revisiting painful memories.
- The influence of education: Bodie wonders if Granby itself—through teachers like Dr. Meyer, Dana Ramos, and Mr. Levin—gave her empathy and tenacity, rather than these qualities being innate.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter significantly complicates the reader’s understanding of Robbie Serenho, dismantling the easy stereotype of a wealthy, entitled boyfriend. It also shows Bodie’s obsession with the past and her growing distrust of her own memories. The flashback to Follies provides a rare glimpse of the teacher’s (Youssef’s) behavior and Bodie’s awkward position in the school social dynamics. The chapter reinforces the novel’s central tension between the stories we tell about others and the messy truths beneath.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does Bodie discover about Robbie’s family background, and why is that discovery significant?
Bodie finds an obituary for Robbie’s father, who was an electrician, volunteer firefighter, and member of the Lions and Elks—clear signs of a working-class upbringing. This contradicts the media’s depiction of Robbie and Thalia as a privileged prep-school couple and undermines the narrative that Omar Evans was the only outsider at Granby. It forces Bodie (and the reader) to reconsider assumptions about class and motive.
2. How does the flashback to the Follies rehearsal illustrate the teacher’s approach and Bodie’s role in that memory?
The teacher tells the singers to pretend they are singing to Bodie, positioning her as the sole audience. This made her uncomfortable but also, briefly, the center of attention. The memory suggests that the teacher saw Bodie as someone who needed to be included, yet it also foreshadows her later role as a person who observes and investigates others—often without being fully seen herself.
3. What does Bodie conclude about the influence of Granby on her own character?
Bodie considers that her empathy and tenacity might not be innate traits she brought to Granby, but qualities the school instilled in her through its teachers and curriculum. This realization echoes the novel’s broader meditation on how environment and privilege shape identity. She ultimately accepts that she is not "special," and that this is okay.