Chapter 35: Carole and Brett’s Shared Grief
⚠️ 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 (Chronological)
Carole has thrown herself into a rigid college routine to avoid thinking about Finn. She wakes early, attends all classes, takes meticulous notes, and spends evenings in the library before running a fixed route. She avoids social contact by wearing headphones at lunch and ignoring anyone who sits with her. Her phone calls with her parents are guarded—they worry about her making friends, and she lies about attending campus events to soothe them. After finishing her first big papers, she has a rare free afternoon and decides to go for an extra-long run. While on the phone with her parents, she deflects their questions about friendships and Brett. Back in the dorm, she walks in on Brett crying while holding a framed photo. He confesses that his twin brother Todd died four years ago, and that Carole’s presence reminds him of what he lost. Carole shares that her best friend Finn died just last month. They talk for hours about their losses—Todd’s accidental death from an airbag malfunction, Finn’s sudden death—and about grief, memory, and the kind of people Todd and Finn were. Brett assures Carole that she will never forget Finn, and that eventually remembering him will bring happiness instead of only pain. The chapter ends with the two of them sharing a laugh, tentatively beginning a friendship that gives Carole hope that her parents won’t need to send her brother Charlie to check on her.
Key Events
- Carole maintains a strict, distraction-filled schedule to keep from thinking about Finn.
- She talks with her parents, who press her about making friends; she lies about attending events and meeting a guy from Taiwan.
- Carole returns to the dorm early and finds Brett crying while holding a framed picture he had set down.
- Brett admits his twin brother Todd died when they were fourteen, and that Carole’s presence triggers memories of Todd.
- Carole confesses that her best friend Finn died just a month ago, and the two share details about their losses.
- Brett describes Todd’s love of acting and baseball, and the freak accident that killed him.
- Carole opens up about Finn’s kindness, caution, soccer, and his relationship with his longtime love.
- They eat pizza together and Brett tells Carole that the hurt will eventually soften, allowing her to remember Finn with joy.
- The chapter closes with a shared laugh about the JV baseball photo, signaling a breakthrough in their relationship.
Character Development
Carole: Throughout this chapter, Carole moves from rigid avoidance to reluctant vulnerability. Her strict routine—early mornings, library sessions, solitary runs—reflects her attempt to contain grief through control. The phone call with her parents shows her performing normalcy while privately struggling. The turning point comes when she chooses to ask Brett if he wants to talk, a small act of empathy that cracks her isolation. By sharing Finn’s story and crying in front of Brett, she allows herself to be seen, and Brett’s recognition that “you’ll never forget” gives her a new framework for grief—one that includes connection rather than solitude.
Brett: Initially presented as distant and mysterious (Carole calls him “Brett the boring”), Brett’s grief is revealed as the source of his coldness. His admission that Carole’s presence reminds him of his brother Todd humanizes him. By sharing Todd’s personality—his acting, baseball, and joy in others’ successes—Brett becomes more than his avoidance. His willingness to name Carole’s pain and offer hope (“Someday you’ll think of Finn and it won’t hurt”) marks him as a character who has navigated loss and can now guide another.
Finn and Todd (mentioned): Though dead, both brothers remain vivid through Carole’s and Brett’s memories. Finn is remembered as cautious, kind, a great soccer player, and someone who loved Sylvie his whole life. Todd is recalled as a talented actor and baseball lover who dreamed of being a father. Their similarities—both beloved, both taken suddenly—bond the living characters.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Grief and Avoidance vs. Connection: Carole’s early actions (wearing headphones, skipping social events) embody avoidance. The chapter argues that avoidance is unsustainable; connection, even painful, is necessary for healing. Brett’s willingness to talk about Todd models a more open approach to grief.
Memory as a Double-Edged Sword: Brett’s framed photo triggers pain, but also connection. He tells Carole she will never forget Finn, and that memory will eventually bring happiness. The photo and Carole’s references to Finn’s CDs and personality illustrate how the dead remain present in objects and stories.
Shared Loss as a Bridge: Carole and Brett bond not over shared interests but over shared grief. Their conversation moves from specific details of how Todd and Finn died to universal truths about loss. The chapter suggests that grief can form a foundation for friendship.
The “Switch” of Performance: Todd could “turn on something inside him” for acting; Carole’s performance of normality for her parents is a similar act. Brett initially performs indifference. The theme highlights how people mask their inner pain.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 35 is the first time Carole opens up about Finn to someone outside her family and Finn’s immediate circle. It shifts her narrative from isolated mourning toward tentative connection. The discovery that Brett is also grieving dismantles Carole’s assumption that her roommate is simply cold or dull. By ending with a shared laugh and the hope of a friendship, the chapter sets up a support system for Carole’s continued processing of loss. Additionally, Brett’s perspective—four years removed from Todd’s death—offers Carole a glimpse of a future where grief is manageable. This chapter deepens the novel’s exploration of how one person’s death ripples outward, affecting relationships between strangers who, because of loss, become something like kindred.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Carole lie to her parents about attending campus events and meeting a guy from Taiwan?
Carole lies to reassure her parents that she is adjusting socially and emotionally. She knows they are worried about her isolation, and she wants to prevent them from sending her brother Charlie to check on her. The lie also lets her maintain the illusion of control over her grief.
2. What does Brett’s photo of his twin brother Todd symbolize in this chapter?
The photo symbolizes the persistent presence of the dead in the lives of the living. It triggers Brett’s grief but also allows him to share Todd’s memory with Carole. More broadly, it shows that grief is not a linear process—even four years later, Brett can be caught off guard.
3. How does Brett’s description of Todd resemble Carole’s memories of Finn?
Both Todd and Finn were deeply kind and well-liked by their communities. Todd was happy for others’ successes; Finn was unfailingly kind and cautious. Both died suddenly due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control (Todd in a car accident, Finn by an unspecified sudden event). This similarity helps Carole and Brett recognize their shared experience.