Chapter summaries In the Likely Event Rebecca Yarros

Chapter 17 (Nathaniel): Evacuation Under Fire

⚠️ 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

Nathaniel Green avoids meeting Izzy’s fiancé, Jeremy, by staying in his quarters. Torres calls him out for hiding, and a briefing on worsening security forces Nathaniel to confront Izzy. During a conference call with Senator Lauren, they learn the Afghan chess team (six girls and their families) will only evacuate with Izzy. Nathaniel reluctantly approves a helicopter mission to Kandahar. At the airport, he enforces a “twelve-inch” proximity rule, argues with Izzy about Jeremy, and notices her engagement ring is missing. The chess team arrives, and the runway explodes, putting everyone in immediate danger.

Key Events

  1. Torres confronts Nathaniel about avoiding Izzy and her fiancé in the embassy.
  2. Briefing reveals three more provinces fell; Kabul is expected to fall within a month.
  3. Conference call with Senator Lauren – the chess team refuses evacuation unless Izzy personally picks them up.
  4. Nathaniel reluctantly agrees to fly to Kandahar with Izzy and a small security team.
  5. Arrival at damaged Kandahar airport – Nathaniel sets strict rules and selects a defensible waiting area.
  6. Argument about Jeremy – Nathaniel criticizes how her fiancé treated her in the past; Izzy retorts that Nathaniel also disappeared on her.
  7. Nathaniel notices Izzy’s engagement ring is missing just as the chess team appears.
  8. The runway explodes, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Development

  • Nathaniel Green – Struggles to separate professional duty from personal jealousy. His “hiding” in his room shows emotional avoidance, but he quickly shifts to mission mode when the chess team’s safety is at stake. His anger at Jeremy masks a deeper hurt: Izzy forgave Jeremy but never forgave him for leaving. The missing ring hints that his assumptions about her commitment may be wrong.

  • Izzy Astor – Displays professionalism under pressure, calmly handling the senator’s call. She defends her choices about Jeremy and challenges Nathaniel’s double standard. Her willingness to fly into a war zone for the girls shows her courage, despite visible nerves.

  • Torres and Graham – Support roles. Torres calls out Nathaniel’s emotional state; Graham delivers the intel and watches their six on the ground.

  • Senator Lauren – Pragmatic and protective, she trusts Nathaniel’s judgment while respecting Izzy’s agency.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • The engaged ring (missing symbol) – The absent ring represents Izzy’s possible reconsideration of her relationship with Jeremy, contradicting Nathaniel’s belief she has “settled.”

  • Controlled space vs chaos – The embassy, the conference room, and the designated airport waiting area are Nathaniel’s attempts to impose order. Each one is breached: by news, by the chess team’s demands, and finally by the explosion.

  • Language as trust – Nathaniel’s Pashto ability gives him tactical advantage but also symbolizes the hidden knowledge between him and Izzy. She perceives his language skill as another secret he kept.

  • The twelve-inch rule – A physical boundary that mirrors the emotional distance Nathaniel forces between himself and Izzy after seeing her with Jeremy. It’s protective but also a way to avoid intimacy.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 17 escalates the external conflict (the Taliban advance) while deepening the internal conflict. Nathaniel’s observation that Izzy’s ring is missing creates dramatic irony: readers suspect she may not be as committed to Jeremy as Nathaniel believes. The explosion ends the chapter on a life-or-death note, raising the stakes for both the evacuation mission and their relational reckoning. This chapter also clarifies that Nathaniel’s feelings for Izzy have never stopped—he has a box of annotated books for her that he cannot give away.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Nathaniel initially avoid leaving his room, and what changes his mind?
He avoids seeing Izzy with Jeremy (whom he calls “Dickface”). The briefing on deteriorating security forces him to act; he realizes he cannot protect her by hiding.

2. What does the missing engagement ring suggest about Izzy’s relationship with Jeremy?
That she may have ended or is reconsidering the engagement. Nathaniel notices its absence just before the explosion, but no explanation is given yet.

3. How does the chess team’s insistence on Izzy’s presence illustrate the theme of trust?
The team does not trust the Afghan Air Force, only the American aide they know. This requires Izzy to put herself at risk, highlighting how personal trust can override institutional guarantees in crisis.

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