Chapter 18: Ungodly Hours – Summary & 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
Jolene is woken on Sunday morning by her parents letting themselves into her apartment. Her mother immediately criticises the mess, discovers empty gin bottles under the sink, and begins cleaning while interrogating Jolene about her lifestyle, lack of friends, and failure to study for a promotion. Jolene deflects with lies (sanitizer) and half-hearted promises to improve. After her parents leave, Jolene finds her young neighbour Miley sitting alone in the hallway. Miley gives Jolene a poorly crocheted zebra – a birthday gift. Miley explains her mother is working a double shift and she has nowhere else to go. Jolene feels a pang of guilt but retreats into her apartment, determined to focus on her plan the following week.
Key Events
- Jolene’s parents arrive unannounced early Sunday morning.
- Her mother finds multiple empty gin bottles and confronts Jolene about her drinking.
- Jolene lies about using the gin for sanitiser and promises to be better.
- Her mother cleans the apartment and pressures Jolene about getting a boyfriend and a promotion.
- Jolene recalls the comfortable evening she spent with Cliff drinking milkshakes.
- After the parents leave, Jolene sees Miley sitting in the hallway.
- Miley gives Jolene a mismatched crocheted zebra as a birthday gift.
- Jolene learns Miley is home alone because her mother is working a double shift.
- Jolene feels guilty but does not invite Miley in, and ends the chapter resolved to focus on her plan.
Character Development
- Jolene: Her shame deepens when her mother’s criticism echoes her own self‑judgment. A flash of connection with Cliff briefly lightens her mood, but the encounter with Miley forces her to confront her own emotional unavailability. She chooses withdrawal over reaching out, showing her coping mechanism of avoidance.
- Jolene’s mother: Her concern is expressed through cleaning and controlling behaviour. She frames depression and anxiety as matters of will, revealing her own immigrant‑survival mindset and inability to address emotional pain directly.
- Miley: The young neighbour’s loneliness becomes visible. Her gift, though imperfect, is an earnest attempt at connection. Her fading hope when Jolene steps back highlights her isolation.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Family expectations and pressure: Jolene’s mother equates a good life with marriage, cleanliness, and a promotion. She ignores Jolene’s internal struggles and demands she “just stop being sad.”
- Alcohol as a coping mechanism: The discovery of multiple gin bottles literalizes Jolene’s attempts to numb her pain. Her mother’s dismissive comment (“it’s a depressant”) simplifies a complex problem.
- The immigrant experience: Jolene’s mother believes attitude, fruit, and sunlight can cure depression – a survival‑oriented worldview shaped by her own past traumas. Jolene recognises this pattern but feels trapped by it.
- Isolation and failed connection: Jolene’s door is both physical and emotional. She lets Miley stay in the hallway rather than invite her in, mirroring her own inability to receive support.
- The crocheted zebra: A symbol of imperfect but sincere care. Miley’s gift is the opposite of Jolene’s mother’s critical cleaning – it is clumsy, unasked for, and vulnerable.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens Jolene’s internal conflict between wanting to change and feeling unable to. The parallel between her mother’s invasive criticism and Miley’s quiet need for company forces Jolene to see her own avoidance patterns clearly. Her decision to shut the door on Miley (literally and figuratively) sets up a key test: will she learn to let others in? The chapter also provides a stark contrast between the controlled, judgmental home environment Jolene escaped and the neglected, messy freedom of her own apartment. The unresolved tension around her drinking and her loneliness fuels the next phase of her journey.
Study Questions and Answers
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Question: Why does Jolene lie to her mother about the gin bottles, and what does the lie reveal about her state of mind?
Answer: Jolene claims she used the gin for making sanitizer. The absurdity of the lie shows she is not ready to confront her drinking honestly. It reveals her shame and her instinct to deflect rather than ask for help. -
Question: How does Jolene’s memory of the milkshake evening with Cliff contrast with her morning with her parents?
Answer: The milkshake memory is warm, easy, and reciprocal – a rare moment of genuine connection. The morning with her parents is tense, critical, and one‑sided. The contrast highlights how starved Jolene is for acceptance, yet she remains unwilling to pursue it. -
Question: What does the crocheted zebra symbolise, and why does Jolene’s reaction to it matter?
Answer: The zebra symbolises Miley’s earnest but flawed attempt to care for Jolene. Jolene’s initial wariness and her eventual retreat into her apartment show she struggles to accept vulnerability – even when it is offered freely. Her guilt afterwards suggests she knows she should have done more.