Chapter 22 Summary: 1975

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Summary

The chapter opens with June Riva's funeral at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica. Her four children—Nina (17), Jay and Hud (16), and Kit (12)—stand in black, their faces stoic. The service is attended by the staff of Riva's Seafood, childhood friends, and neighbors who appreciated June's warmth. As June is lowered into the ground, Jay and Kit begin to cry, and Nina pulls them all into a tight embrace.

After the funeral, the family gathers at home. Ramon, the fry cook hired by June a month earlier, stays to help clean up, insisting that he owes it to June's memory. That night, Hud voices what everyone is thinking: their father, Mick, didn't attend the funeral. Jay refuses to discuss it, and Nina weakly suggests he might not have gotten the message, but she knows better—she had called his manager's office and placed an obituary. Kit asks if they need him, and Nina says no, reassuring them that they will be fine.

Nina doesn't sleep that night. She lies in her mother's bed, trying to hold onto her scent, and watches seals from the patio. She feels guilty for even thinking about swimming, but she realizes she must model strength for her siblings. The next morning, she wakes them all, hands them wet suits, and leads them into the ocean, declaring, “This is how we survive.”

From that point, Nina becomes the de facto parent. She manages the household: grocery shopping, cooking, helping with homework, paying property taxes, and fixing the leaky roof with a cheap handyman solution. The siblings establish a system: Hud cleans the bathrooms and kitchen, Jay does laundry (becoming a stain-removal expert), and Kit tidies up. Jay and Hud spend their free time surfing, while Kit watches from the deck with binoculars, longing to join but respecting Jay's seriousness.

Nina also handles the legal and administrative burdens. She forges her father's signature on permission slips, and Principal Declan, aware of the situation, tells her he won't call the state as long as it looks like someone is home. Nina cries in the bathroom after that conversation. She promotes shift manager Patricia to run the restaurant, but when Patricia quits, Nina takes over entirely. She consults an attorney who advises her to file for legal guardianship once she turns eighteen, rather than risk abandonment charges against Mick.

Nina's schoolwork suffers; she flunks French and accumulates truancies. By April of her junior year, she drops out to work full-time at Riva's Seafood. On her eighteenth birthday, Jay crashes the car into the mailbox while fetching bagels, but they still make it to the lawyer's office to file the guardianship paperwork. Nina testifies that she has no knowledge of her father's whereabouts and is the only relative who can provide for the siblings. After a few weeks, the paperwork is approved—Mick either signed away his rights or didn't respond. The family celebrates at the restaurant with sandwiches Nina makes from leftover ingredients, which they call “the Sandwich.”

Key Events

June's funeral and the family's initial grief.
Nina's decision to lead the family into the ocean as a coping mechanism.
The establishment of household chores and responsibilities for each sibling.
Nina's forging of Mick's signature and Principal Declan's tacit approval.
Nina's consultation with an attorney about guardianship.
Nina's dropping out of high school to run Riva's Seafood.
Jay's car accident on Nina's birthday and the subsequent filing for guardianship.
The approval of Nina's guardianship and the family's celebration.

Character Development

Nina: Transforms from a grieving teenager into a parentified adult. She sacrifices her education, her social life, and her own emotional needs to keep her siblings together. Her actions are driven by a fierce love and a fear of foster care. She learns to suppress her own desires and model resilience, even when she feels overwhelmed.
Jay: Channels his grief into surfing and laundry. He becomes obsessive about stain removal, using it as a distraction. His refusal to let Kit join him in the water shows his need for control and his single-minded focus on going pro.
Hud: Takes on the role of the responsible cleaner, but also shows emotional sensitivity. He worries about the ruse and expresses gratitude to Nina for her sacrifice. His relief when guardianship is approved is palpable.
Kit: At twelve, she copes by tidying and watching her brothers from a distance. She is sharp and sometimes defiant (telling a teacher to “eat it”), but she also shows vulnerability, resting her head on Nina's shoulder. Her observation of Jay and Hud hints at her future ambition.
Mick: Though absent, his abandonment looms large. His failure to show up at the funeral or respond to legal notices solidifies his role as a neglectful father, forcing Nina to step in.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Parentification: Nina is forced to become a parent to her siblings, taking on responsibilities far beyond her years. This theme is central to the chapter and shapes her character.
Abandonment: Mick's absence is a constant presence. The children's fear of being split up and placed in foster care underscores their vulnerability.
Surfing as Coping: The ocean becomes a refuge and a ritual for the family. Nina's declaration that “this is how we survive” links surfing to emotional survival.
Imperfection as Functional: The handyman's tar patch on the roof, the forged signatures, and the haphazard household system all illustrate that survival doesn't require perfection—just enough to keep going.
Food as Comfort: The sandwiches at the end, made from whatever is on hand, symbolize the family's ability to create something nourishing from scarcity.
Secrecy and Deception: The siblings hide their father's absence from authorities, and Nina forges signatures to maintain the appearance of a normal household.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the emotional and practical foundation for the rest of the novel. It explains how Nina became the caretaker and why she carries such a heavy burden. It also establishes the dynamics among the siblings—Jay's ambition, Hud's sensitivity, Kit's quiet observation—that persist into the present-day narrative. The guardianship approval is a pivotal moment, giving the family legal stability but also cementing Nina's role as the parent. The chapter also deepens the theme of abandonment, showing how Mick's neglect shapes the Riva children's lives and their relationships with each other.

Study Questions and Answers

How does Nina's decision to drop out of school reflect her priorities and her understanding of responsibility?

Nina drops out because she realizes she cannot balance school with the demands of running the household and the restaurant. Her priority is keeping her siblings together and ensuring their survival. She sees education as a luxury she cannot afford, and she chooses to sacrifice her own future for the sake of her family. This decision underscores her selflessness and her acceptance of the parentified role.

What role does the ocean play in the siblings' coping process in this chapter?

The ocean serves as a shared ritual and a source of solace. Nina leads them into the water the morning after the funeral, framing it as a way to survive. For Jay and Hud, surfing becomes a daily escape and a focus for their energy. For Kit, watching from the deck is a way to feel connected without intruding. The ocean represents both freedom and a constant, reliable presence in the midst of loss.

How does the theme of abandonment manifest in the chapter, and how do the siblings respond to it?

Abandonment is embodied by Mick's absence at the funeral and his failure to respond to legal notices. The siblings respond by creating their own family unit, with Nina as the head. They forge his signature, hide his absence from authorities, and ultimately formalize Nina's guardianship. Their actions show that they refuse to be defined by his neglect; instead, they build a new sense of family based on mutual support.

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