Chapter 65: The Opposite of Curious — Summary and Study Guide

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with the group performing a shortened ninety-second version of Elton John's Your Song from a rowing boat on the River Wear. The performance draws a crowd of onlookers from Durham's town center, and Pip's delighted reaction makes Georgia feel the performance has done its job. Jason nudges Georgia to follow through with the plan.

Georgia grabs the megaphone from the bottom of the boat and asks Pip to be her college wife. Pip, initially flustered, realizes what's happening and shrieks her acceptance, adding AND I HATE YOU! The crowd applauds, and Pip begins to cry. Georgia and Jason row to shore, where Pip runs down to the riverbank and hugs Georgia so forcefully that both of them fall waist-deep into the River Wear in February.

They climb back into the boat and row back to St. John's, with Pip nearly capsizing them from excitement. Rooney sits at the back, deliberately avoiding looking at Pip. On the college green, Georgia thanks everyone for helping. Sunil responds, All in the spirit of love. Pip awkwardly compliments Rooney's tambourine playing, which lands like an insult; Rooney thanks her and quickly leaves, claiming she has someone to meet in town. Jason gives Georgia a tight hug before departing.

Pip and Georgia go to Georgia's room. Pip notices Roderick the plant, which seems to have grown despite the leaf-trimming. Both are drenched from the waist down, so Georgia gives Pip a pair of joggers and changes into pajamas herself. They settle on the carpet with hot chocolate and a blanket.

Georgia apologizes again for the kiss at the Bailey Ball. Pip admits she had liked Rooney and hadn't wanted to admit it to herself, having spent her teenage years pining after straight girls. She explains that the kiss felt like a betrayal from both of them. Georgia hugs her tightly.

Pip then gently probes Georgia about her sexuality, noting that she doesn't want to force her to talk about anything. When Pip asks whether the kiss with Rooney was born of curiosity, Georgia replies that she was desperate to like someone. She explains that she can't like anyone—not boys, not girls, not anyone—and finally says the words: It's called aromantic asexual.

Pip responds with quiet acceptance, telling Georgia she's not weird—the first person to say that to her. They joke about the term aro-ace sounding like a Star Wars character. Georgia explains that she always felt uncomfortable trying to have romantic feelings, and that her fake feelings for Tommy were a red herring. When Pip asks how Georgia knows she won't find someone one day, Georgia answers that she knows herself and what she's capable of feeling—just as Pip knows she won't fall for a guy.

Pip suddenly realizes they were both going through the same thing at the same time: both forcing themselves to like guys, both feeling weird and different, both struggling with repression. They laugh hysterically together.

They miss dinner and have a snack picnic while watching Moulin Rouge. Near the end of the film, Pip asks why Georgia proposed. Georgia says it's because she loves her and Pip deserves magical moments like that. Pip cries, and they exchange affectionate I hate you banter.

Key Events

The group performs Your Song from a rowing boat on the River Wear, drawing a crowd
Georgia publicly asks Pip to be her college wife via megaphone; Pip accepts, crying
Pip's enthusiastic hug sends both of them into the River Wear
Rooney keeps her distance and leaves quickly after Pip's awkward tambourine compliment
Georgia apologizes for the Bailey Ball kiss; Pip admits she had liked Rooney
Georgia comes out to Pip as aromantic asexual
They realize they were both forcing themselves to like boys
Georgia explains her proposal: Because I love you, and you deserve magical moments

Character Development

Georgia reaches a major milestone in this chapter. She finally articulates her aromantic asexual identity out loud to someone who matters, and receives the acceptance she's been craving. Her answer to Pip's question—Because I know myself—marks a shift from uncertainty to self-knowledge. She also demonstrates growth in emotional vulnerability, initiating the apology and pushing through her discomfort to have the conversation.

Pip shows her capacity for genuine support. Despite her own hurt over the kiss, she listens without judgment, tells Georgia she's not weird, and reframes their shared struggles with humor. Her admission that she liked Rooney—and her frustration with repeatedly falling for straight girls—adds depth to her character and creates a parallel with Georgia's experience.

Rooney remains on the periphery, avoiding Pip and leaving quickly. Her absence from the reconciliation conversation suggests she's still processing her own feelings.

Jason plays a quiet but crucial supporting role, nudging Georgia to follow through with the proposal and giving her a tight hug before leaving.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Aromantic asexual identity and coming out. This is the chapter where Georgia's identity is finally spoken aloud. The scene emphasizes both the difficulty of the admission and the relief of acceptance.

Friendship love vs. romantic love. The college wife proposal redefines a traditionally romantic gesture as an expression of deep friendship. Georgia's explanation—Because I love you, and you deserve magical moments—centers platonic love as worthy of grand gestures.

Forcing romantic feelings and repression. Both Georgia and Pip were trying to force themselves to like boys. Their parallel experiences highlight how compulsory heterosexuality operates, and how repression can masquerade as normalcy.

The opposite of curious. The chapter title refers to Georgia's internal correction when Pip asks if she was just curious about the kiss. Georgia has never been curious about romance or attraction; she was desperate to feel something, which is the opposite of curiosity.

Emotional vulnerability. The chapter is structured around Georgia learning to speak her truth, from the apology to the coming out to the explanation of her proposal.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is a pivotal chapter in Georgia's arc. It's the first time she fully comes out to a close friend, and the first time someone tells her she's not weird. The chapter also redefines the college wife proposal as an act of friendship love, challenging the assumption that grand gestures belong only to romance. The parallel between Georgia and Pip's experiences—both forcing themselves to like boys, both feeling different—deepens the novel's exploration of queer identity and self-discovery. The reconciliation between Georgia and Pip restores the central friendship of the novel.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Georgia describe herself as the opposite of curious?

When Pip asks whether the kiss with Rooney was born of curiosity, Georgia thinks that she has always been the opposite of curious. Curiosity implies a desire to explore attraction; Georgia has never felt that pull. Instead, she was desperate to like someone—anyone—because she believed she should feel romantic attraction. The phrase captures the difference between wanting to discover something and wanting to force something that isn't there.

2. How does the chapter use the public proposal to challenge conventional ideas about romance?

The proposal is staged like a romantic gesture—a song, a megaphone, a crowd, a tearful acceptance—but it's an expression of friendship love, not romantic love. Georgia's explanation that she proposed because she loves Pip and Pip deserves magical moments reframes the gesture as platonic devotion. The chapter suggests that friendship can warrant the same grand gestures we typically reserve for romance.

3. What does the parallel between Georgia and Pip's experiences reveal about compulsory heterosexuality?

Both Georgia and Pip were forcing themselves to like boys, feeling weird and different when they couldn't. Pip eventually recognized her attraction to girls; Georgia realized she felt no attraction at all. Their parallel shows that compulsory heterosexuality pressures everyone to perform attraction, but the internal experience differs: Pip was repressing same-sex desire, while Georgia was repressing the absence of desire entirely. The chapter uses their shared laughter to affirm that neither experience is shameful.