Chapter Two Summary and 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
In mid-June, Lucy and William join Bob Burgess, Margaret, and another couple for dinner at a marina. The other couple includes Katherine Caskey, a social worker, and her husband, a retired state employee. As they talk, Katherine shares her childhood story: her mother died when she was five, and her father, a minister, later visited a housekeeper named Connie Hatch in prison after she murdered elderly patients at a county farm. Bob, who has been listening intently, suddenly realizes that Katherine is the girl he saw decades earlier when his own father died. He calls his siblings to confirm the memory, and the two reconnect over their shared experience of losing a parent as children.
Lucy and William spend the following days exploring the Maine countryside, driving along small roads and stopping at old cemeteries. They notice tombstones with death dates from 1918–1919, which William identifies as the flu epidemic. Lucy researches the epidemic online and reflects on how the world has endured similar crises. William offers to get her an ancestry subscription, but she declines, saying she doesn't want to know about her family.
Lucy continues to miss her daughters, especially Becka, who no longer calls her. Chrissy calls to announce she is pregnant, due in December, and Lucy is overjoyed. William also expresses missing his daughter Bridget and mentions a conversation about their wedding vows, which included the phrase “forever and beyond.”
Later, Lucy's sister Vicky calls to say she has joined a fundamentalist Christian church and stopped wearing masks, citing distrust of the media and government. Lucy tries to respond without judgment, but the conversation is strained.
In late June, Becka contracts the virus from Trey, with whom she had reconnected. She recovers after a few weeks and moves to Connecticut, selling the apartment William had bought for her. She begins seeing a screenwriter friend of Michael's, though that relationship soon fizzles.
Chrissy loses her baby after a short run and is hospitalized. She and Michael then contract the virus from the emergency room, but both recover. Chrissy insists they will still have a family, and Lucy supports her.
Key Events
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Katherine Caskey recounts her childhood and the story of Connie Hatch, the housekeeper who murdered patients.
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Bob realizes he and Katherine met as children when his father died, and they share a profound connection.
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Lucy and William explore Maine, visiting cemeteries with 1918 flu tombstones.
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Lucy declines William's offer of an ancestry subscription.
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Chrissy announces her pregnancy, due in December.
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Vicky reveals she has joined a fundamentalist church and stopped wearing masks.
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Becka gets the virus from Trey, recovers, and moves to Connecticut.
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Chrissy miscarries after a run, then she and Michael contract the virus from the emergency room.
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Chrissy and Michael recover, and Chrissy vows they will still have a family.
Character Development
Lucy's anxiety about her daughters deepens throughout the chapter. She misses them constantly and feels hurt that they don't say they miss her. When Chrissy explains that Becka no longer needs her as much, Lucy accepts it but admits it “killed” her. Her maternal worry is also evident when Becka gets sick, though she is more concerned about Becka's marriage than the virus itself.
William emerges as a steady, if emotionally reserved, presence. He calls Becka when she's ill, listens to her, and later tells Lucy that the girls don't call her because they worry about how much she worries. His comment about Lucy being “a spirit” who knows things reveals his belief in her intuition, though Lucy privately disagrees.
Bob Burgess is shown in a new light through his emotional recognition of Katherine. His vulnerability and joy at finding a childhood connection highlight his capacity for deep feeling, and his story about his father's death adds layers to his character.
Katherine Caskey is introduced as a woman shaped by early loss. Her openness about her mother's death and her hatred of Connie Hatch reveal a lifelong wound, but her reunion with Bob brings her a sense of wonder and closure.
Vicky's phone call shows her moving toward religious fundamentalism, a shift that creates tension with Lucy. Lucy's attempt to be supportive is undermined by her sarcasm, and the conversation exposes their differing worldviews.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Interconnected lives and coincidence: The chapter centers on the astonishing coincidence that Bob and Katherine met as children and reconnect decades later. Their shared loss of a parent creates an instant bond, and Lucy marvels at how people's stories “interwove.”
Parental loss: Both Bob and Katherine lost a parent at a young age, and this shared experience shapes their identities. Lucy's own memories of her mother also surface, particularly her mother's cruel comment about women who can't have babies, which Lucy realizes she had unconsciously believed.
Pandemic parallels with the 1918 flu: The tombstones from 1918–1919 serve as a tangible reminder that the world has endured pandemics before. Lucy reflects on how distant that epidemic seems, yet how distressing it must have been for those who lived through it.
Maternal worry and mother-daughter bonds: Lucy's anxiety about her daughters is a constant thread. She worries about Becka's choices, Chrissy's pregnancy, and the emotional distance that has grown between them. The chapter also explores the imagined mother figure Lucy has created to comfort herself.
Religious fundamentalism and media distrust: Vicky's embrace of a fundamentalist church and her rejection of mainstream media reflect a broader cultural divide. Lucy's skepticism clashes with Vicky's certainty, and the conversation highlights how the pandemic has intensified such divisions.
Mortality and death: From Katherine's story of Connie Hatch to the flu tombstones to Chrissy's miscarriage, death and loss permeate the chapter. Lucy's fear of death is also touched on when William recalls their wedding vows.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the novel's exploration of how the pandemic affects personal relationships and historical consciousness. The coincidence between Bob and Katherine underscores the theme of interconnected lives, suggesting that even in isolation, people are bound together by shared experiences. The 1918 flu tombstones provide a historical context that makes the present crisis feel both more manageable and more profound.
The chapter also advances Lucy's emotional arc. Her daughters' struggles—Becka's illness and Chrissy's miscarriage—test her maternal resilience, while her sister's religious shift adds a new layer of familial tension. Lucy's refusal to explore her ancestry suggests a desire to avoid painful truths, and her reliance on an imagined mother figure reveals her ongoing need for comfort.
Finally, the chapter sets up future developments: Chrissy's determination to have a family, Becka's new romantic prospects, and the lingering question of Lucy's relationship with her own past.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Bob become so emotional when he realizes Katherine is the girl he saw as a child?
Bob's reaction stems from a lifelong memory of a little girl who stared at him with big eyes during his father's funeral. He had always felt a connection to her, and discovering that she is Katherine—someone he already knows—validates that feeling. The shared experience of losing a parent at a young age creates an instant bond, and Bob's joy is palpable as he realizes they have been connected all along.
2. What does Lucy's refusal to accept William's ancestry subscription reveal about her character?
Lucy's refusal suggests she is not ready to confront her family's past. She has painful memories of her mother and brother, and she may fear what she would discover. Her statement that she doesn't want to know anything about her family indicates a desire to distance herself from her origins, perhaps because they are too painful to revisit.
3. How does the chapter use the 1918 flu epidemic to comment on the present pandemic?
The tombstones from 1918–1919 serve as a tangible reminder that pandemics are not new. Lucy reflects that while the epidemic seems remote, it was just as distressing for those who lived through it. This parallel suggests that the current crisis, though overwhelming, is part of a larger historical pattern, offering a sense of perspective and continuity.
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