Chapter 31: Sunday — Summary, Themes, 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

On Sunday, the third day of Cyrus's Brooklyn trip, he walks to a café called Daylight on the far side of Prospect Park. The weather is too cold for outdoor seating, but Cyrus knows his friend Zee will want to smoke, so he endures the chill. He has texted Zee for a "quick chat," their private signal for something urgent. Cyrus's mind is stuck in a loop: he told Orkideh his mother died, but she referenced a plane crash he never mentioned. He hopes talking to Zee will break the cycle.

While waiting, Cyrus receives a text from his sponsor, Gabe, who asks if Cyrus is still sober. Cyrus confirms, and Gabe asks if he is still angry. Cyrus admits he is not really angry anymore. Gabe's reply—"There you go"—prompts Cyrus to reflect on how children who lose a parent often test the remaining parent's reliability. He realizes he has unconsciously treated Gabe as a surrogate father, and he accepts that Gabe can be trusted to stay.

Scrolling his phone, Cyrus sees a photo of the sitting president, whom he and Zee privately call "President Invective." They avoid saying his real name, feeling it would grant him power. Cyrus muses on Western leadership's obsession with infallibility, contrasting it with the doubt expressed by religious figures like Jesus and Muhammad. He imagines a leader who could admit changing his mind based on new information—an act of critical thinking that seems impossible in contemporary politics. This thought makes him angry, then sad.

Cyrus also recalls his father's stories about his mother's habit of writing down questions she couldn't answer and looking them up at the library. He takes pride in descending from people comfortable with uncertainty, and he remembers a Sufi prayer: "Lord, increase my bewilderment." He reflects on how the performance of certainty seems to drive much of the world's grief, with people blaming external forces for their pain rather than looking inward.

Zee finally arrives, wearing a white T-shirt with the word "LIGHGHT" in red letters, loose black slacks, and camouflage Crocs. He carries a brown paper bag of vinyl records he bought that morning—a Tyrannosaurus Rex album and a live Dinah Washington record. Cyrus tries to show enthusiasm but is clearly distracted. He recounts his conversation with Orkideh, focusing on her uncanny mention of the flight that killed his mother. Zee suggests Cyrus might have accidentally mentioned it, or that Orkideh could have Googled something. Cyrus dismisses both possibilities, noting he has never shared the details of his mother's death in his published poems.

Cyrus then asks directly whether Zee visited Orkideh without him. Zee reacts with disbelief, sarcastically claiming they have been texting and that Orkideh will join them later. He asks Cyrus if he even sees him at all. Cyrus apologizes and explains his confusion. Zee wonders if Orkideh might have known Cyrus's father in Iran, but Cyrus thinks it unlikely, since his father only kept in touch with his uncle Arash, and Arash never leaves his house.

Cyrus pulls out his phone and searches for Orkideh online. Her Wikipedia page is strikingly sparse—just a few lines mentioning her stage name, her 1997 Venice Biennial exhibit "Shipping and Handling," her exile from Iran, her divorce from gallerist Sang N. Linh, and her terminal breast cancer. Cyrus clicks through to the Linh Gallery site and finds a page for Orkideh with images of past exhibits. One painting catches his eye: a battlefield strewn with dead soldiers, and in the center a giant black horse with a rider in black robes, haloed in yellow light. A silver zipper runs up the front of the robe, and through an X-ray effect, Cyrus sees the body of a scared naked boy curled inside, clinging to the horse. The rider's face is an expression of pure agony.

Cyrus's breath catches. He hands the phone to Zee and explains that his uncle Arash wore a black robe and rode among the dead during the Iran-Iraq War. Zee is stunned. He reads the painting's title, "Dudusch," and asks what it means. Cyrus says it is Farsi for "brother."

Key Events

Cyrus meets Zee at Daylight café and texts his sponsor Gabe about sobriety.
Cyrus reflects on President Invective and the cultural obsession with infallibility.
Zee arrives with vinyl records, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex album and a Dinah Washington live record.
Cyrus recounts Orkideh's uncanny mention of the plane crash that killed his mother.
Cyrus asks Zee if he visited Orkideh without him; Zee denies it, hurt by the question.
Cyrus searches Orkideh online, finding a sparse Wikipedia page and a gallery site.
Cyrus discovers the painting "Dudusch," depicting a battlefield rider in black robes, which he connects to his uncle Arash.

Character Development

Cyrus's internal monologue reveals his ongoing struggle with sobriety and his relationship with Gabe. He recognizes his tendency to project fatherhood onto Gabe, and he accepts that Gabe's reliability is real. This marks a step toward emotional maturity—acknowledging his own psychological patterns rather than resisting them.

His reflections on infallibility and doubt show a deepening philosophical bent. Cyrus is critical of the performative certainty he sees in politics and society, and he aligns himself with a tradition of bewilderment, drawing on his mother's curiosity and a Sufi prayer. This positions him as someone who values questioning over false confidence.

The conversation with Zee reveals a strain in their friendship. Cyrus's suspicion that Zee might have visited Orkideh without him wounds Zee, who feels unseen. Cyrus's apology and his willingness to share the story of Arash suggest a desire to repair the connection. The chapter ends with Cyrus confronting a piece of art that mirrors his family's trauma, forcing him to integrate his uncle's wartime experience into his understanding of martyrdom.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Doubt versus infallibility: Cyrus contrasts the doubt of religious figures with the unyielding certainty of modern leaders, suggesting that true humanity requires embracing uncertainty.
Performance of certainty: Cyrus observes how people externalize their pain, blaming others rather than confronting internal wounds. This ties to his critique of political rhetoric.
Bewilderment as spiritual practice: The Sufi prayer "increase my bewilderment" becomes a guiding principle for Cyrus, who values not-knowing as a form of openness.
Art as testimony: The painting "Dudusch" serves as a visual record of war trauma, connecting Cyrus to his uncle's experience and to Orkideh's own artistic mission.
The uncanny: Orkideh's knowledge of the plane crash creates an unsettling sense of the inexplicable, driving Cyrus's search for answers.
Martyrdom and self-erasure: Cyrus's earlier thought about living perfectly enough to die without causing ripples echoes his obsession with martyrdom, and the painting's hidden boy suggests a vulnerability beneath the warrior's exterior.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 31 deepens the mystery surrounding Orkideh and introduces a crucial piece of Cyrus's family history. The painting "Dudusch" directly links Orkideh's art to the Iran-Iraq War and to Cyrus's uncle Arash, suggesting that Orkideh may know more about Cyrus's past than she lets on. The chapter also develops Cyrus's philosophical worldview, contrasting his embrace of doubt with the performative certainty he criticizes in society. His exchange with Zee highlights the fragility of their friendship and Cyrus's tendency to isolate himself. Finally, the chapter sets up a potential connection between Orkideh and Cyrus's father, raising questions that will likely drive the narrative forward.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Cyrus think about President Invective and infallibility in this chapter?

Cyrus's reflection on the president stems from his broader meditation on certainty and doubt. He sees the president as a product of a culture that prizes infallibility, and he contrasts this with the doubt expressed by religious figures like Jesus and Muhammad. This leads him to imagine a leader who could admit changing his mind—an act of critical thinking that seems impossible in contemporary politics. The reflection also mirrors Cyrus's own struggle with certainty, as he grapples with the inexplicable fact of Orkideh's knowledge.

2. What does the painting "Dudusch" reveal about Cyrus's family history?

The painting depicts a battlefield with a rider in black robes, and through an X-ray effect, a scared naked boy is visible inside the robes. Cyrus recognizes this as a depiction of his uncle Arash, who wore a black robe and rode among the dead during the Iran-Iraq War. The title, Farsi for "brother," suggests a personal connection. The painting thus serves as a visual testimony to Arash's wartime role and to the trauma hidden beneath the warrior's exterior, mirroring Cyrus's own exploration of martyrdom and vulnerability.

3. How does Zee react to Cyrus's suspicion that he visited Orkideh without him?

Zee is hurt and incredulous. He sarcastically claims that he and Orkideh have been texting and that she will join them later, then asks Cyrus if he even sees him at all. His reaction underscores the strain in their friendship and Cyrus's tendency to doubt those closest to him. Cyrus apologizes, and the moment passes, but it reveals a fissure in their bond that may have consequences later.