Chapter 64: 61 – Departure and Reunion
⚠️ 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
After an emotional goodbye marked by many kisses, Jacob drives Nora to the airport so she can return home with her cat. Sleep‑deprived, Nora considers not boarding but feels an inevitability like “tripping at the top of the stairs.” The drive passes in silence, and later she cannot recall her final words to Jacob. At the gate, a friendly flight attendant with silver hair sits beside her and remarks on people referring to themselves in the past tense. They watch a pilot (Raymond) and his young son (Alexander) board; the flight attendant explains that many staff are working to help others until the end. A man in zip‑off pants and a South Park T‑shirt sits next to Nora and persistently tries to sit with her on the plane. Nora lies about living in Halifax to avoid him. In her imagination she sees Jacob walking toward them, then realizes he is real: Jacob has bought a ticket and insists he cannot choose to stay behind. He tells Nora he remembered her from their first meeting and cannot imagine spending the remaining time apart. Nora compares the feeling to falling down stairs, and Jacob agrees.
Key Events
- Nora and Jacob share a long, difficult goodbye after their first kiss, with many kisses in between.
- Jacob drives Nora to the airport; the drive passes in near silence.
- Nora cannot remember what she said as she left the car.
- An elderly flight attendant chats with Nora, commenting on the way people talk in the past tense.
- The pilot Raymond and his son Alexander board, highlighting the community of airline staff working until the end.
- A pushy stranger (Zipper Pants Man) tries to sit with Nora; she rebuffs him.
- Jacob appears at the gate, having bought a ticket, and declares he must come with her.
- Jacob confesses he felt he already knew Nora when they first met, and that he has no choice but to be with her.
- Nora compares their situation to falling down stairs.
Character Development
Nora continues to experience memory loss and disorientation. She cannot recall her last words to Jacob, and she realizes she has started speaking in past tense about herself — a change that unsettles her. When a stranger harasses her, she lies about her hometown and firmly dismisses him, showing a new assertiveness. Her willingness to accept Jacob’s sudden decision suggests she is learning to embrace uncertainty rather than fight it.
Jacob makes a pivotal choice. Earlier he had to decide between his sister and Nora; here he chooses Nora without hesitation. His declaration that “I can’t not come with you” reveals a shift from rational weighing of options to an emotional conviction. He also acknowledges the strange sense of familiarity he felt at their first meeting, hinting at the novel’s theme of déjà‑vu.
Zipper Pants Man serves as a foil to Jacob. He is pushy, oblivious to social cues, and interprets Nora’s glances as invitations. His presence underscores how the end of the world does not change fundamental personality — as the flight attendant observed, it makes people more of who they already are.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Inevitability and Choice
Nora feels the departure is inevitable, like tripping down stairs. Jacob redefines his decision as a non‑choice: he must follow her. The tension between fate and free will runs through the scene. -
Memory and Loss
Nora’s inability to remember her final words to Jacob and her use of past tense reflect the larger theme of fading memory and identity. The flight attendant’s comment about tragedy making people more of what they already are questions whether change is possible. -
Community in Crisis
The airport staff — the attendant, Raymond, Alexander — form a small community dedicated to helping others. They find purpose in their work, contrasting with the “dulled panic” of passengers. -
Re‑encounter and Déjà‑vu
Jacob’s feeling that he had already met Nora suggests a cyclical or recurring pattern, tying to the novel’s title and the idea of repeating experiences.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a turning point in the relationship between Nora and Jacob. After their first kiss in Chapter 63, they are now forced apart, only for Jacob to make an impulsive commitment that cements their partnership. The airport setting introduces a microcosm of how people react to the approaching end — some clinging to routine, some seeking connection, some retreating into themselves. The chapter also deepens Nora’s character arc by highlighting her memory gaps and her growing ability to stand up for herself. The final exchange echoes the falling‑down‑stairs motif from their earlier conversation about marriage, reinforcing the novel’s interest in sudden, overwhelming change.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Nora lie about living in Halifax?
She does not want the persistent stranger to know where she actually lives. In her mind, she equates telling him the truth with consenting to his advances. The lie is a protective measure in a world where social norms have eroded.
2. What does the flight attendant mean when she says “you think things like this are going to change you into someone else, but generally they make you more of who you already are”?
She suggests that a major crisis (the end of the world) does not fundamentally alter a person’s character; it amplifies existing traits. Nora worries this means she has always been lonely and needy, while Zipper Pants Man’s behavior — already creepy — becomes more aggressive.
3. How does Jacob’s declaration that he “has to come with you” connect to the novel’s theme of inevitability?
Jacob reinterprets his choice as not a choice at all, aligning with Nora’s earlier feeling that boarding the plane was like falling down stairs. Both characters experience the pull of fate, and Jacob’s words echo the title’s suggestion that events may be repeating.