Chapter 85: Summary, Key Moments, and Discussion Questions
⚠️ 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
Chapter 85 opens on a Saturday morning with Bowen in the kitchen disinfecting groceries—rubbing sanitizer over the rice package and a jar of peanut butter—while the news reports that US coronavirus cases have climbed to 444, with 19 deaths. Bowen remarks on how quickly the virus is spreading and expresses gratitude for the rubbing alcohol the family stocked up on.
The narrator sits down at their mother's computer, trying to guess her Amazon password to make a purchase, but before they can log in, Mom bursts into the kitchen holding her phone and announces she got the job.
The household fills with celebration that weekend. Mom bakes peanut butter cookies, Bowen and the narrator clean the house, and Lea steams the old work clothes Dad sent over so Mom will have her nicest blouses for Zoom meetings. Dad FaceTimes to congratulate Mom, noting that the NYC trip was a huge risk but that he's proud of her. Mom tells him she starts Monday and will be working remotely from the company's small San Francisco office due to virus concerns.
Dad then asks about school closures. Mom insists schools won't close, even though rumors are getting louder. The narrator recalls that just last week, a substitute taught their class because Mrs. Turner had to attend meetings to help the district plan for remote learning.
The narrator tells Bowen they don't want to go back to online homework, thinking about the A- test on the wall next to their bed—just when they were starting to do well. Then Bowen surprises everyone by offering to help, suggesting they make a schedule. Lea and the narrator exchange a look of disbelief at this unexpected change in their brother.
Bowen leads them upstairs and plays the song “Survivor” from his computer. As the music blasts, the narrator smiles, thinking maybe they can survive online school after all.
Mom hears them singing and comes upstairs. The narrator asks if this means they get to stay. Mom confirms they get to stay, and when the narrator asks if they finally have health insurance, Mom says yes.
At this confirmation, the narrator lets out a breath they didn't know they were holding. They reflect on how they've been blocking out thoughts of what would happen if anyone in the family got sick—trying not to think about it, secretly worrying while convincing themselves it wouldn't happen. As relief washes over them, Lea dances to the music. The narrator watches from the top of the staircase, too emotional to dance, rocking back and forth with relief.
Key Events
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Bowen disinfects groceries as news reports 444 US cases and 19 deaths
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Mom announces she got the job and will start Monday, working remotely
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The family celebrates over the weekend with cookies, cleaning, and steaming work clothes
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Dad FaceTimes to congratulate Mom and raises the question of school closures
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Mom insists schools won't close despite growing rumors and Mrs. Turner's remote-learning planning meetings
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Bowen unexpectedly offers to help the narrator with online school and suggests making a schedule
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Bowen plays “Survivor” as the family sings along
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Mom confirms the family gets to stay and finally has health insurance
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The narrator releases long-held anxiety about getting sick
Character Development
The narrator experiences a significant emotional release in this chapter. Throughout the book, they've carried unspoken worry about what would happen if a family member got sick without health insurance. The confirmation that the family now has coverage allows them to exhale—literally—and acknowledge the fear they'd been suppressing. Their relief is so overwhelming that they can't dance like Lea; they can only rock back and forth.
Bowen shows remarkable growth here. He begins the chapter in a state of pandemic anxiety, obsessively disinfecting groceries. But by the end, he transforms into a source of support, offering to help his sibling with online school and taking the lead on creating a schedule. His choice to play “Survivor” signals a shift from fear to resilience. Lea and the narrator's shared glance of disbelief underscores how unexpected this change is.
Mom emerges as the anchor of the family's stability. She secures the job, insists on normalcy by dismissing school closure rumors, and delivers the news the narrator most needs to hear: they get to stay, and they have health insurance. Her baking and her willingness to join the family's singing show a lighter, more hopeful side.
Lea participates in the celebration by steaming Mom's work clothes and dancing to the music, embodying the family's collective relief.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The “Survivor” song functions as the chapter's central symbol. Bowen's choice to play it transforms the family's anxiety into a declaration of resilience. The narrator's thought that they might survive online school extends the song's meaning beyond the immediate moment, suggesting the family can survive the pandemic itself.
Disinfecting as ritual reflects the pandemic's intrusion into daily life. Bowen's careful cleaning of groceries contrasts sharply with the celebration that follows, showing how the family must navigate both fear and joy simultaneously.
Health insurance represents more than medical coverage; it's the key to the narrator's sense of safety. The narrator's admission that they've been blocking out thoughts of getting sick reveals how deeply this lack of security has weighed on them.
The A- test symbolizes the narrator's academic progress and their fear of losing ground if schools close again. It's a small but meaningful marker of the stability they've worked to achieve.
Steaming work clothes is a motif of preparation and hope—Mom is getting ready not just for a job, but for a new chapter of family security.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 85 is a turning point in the novel. It resolves a major source of tension—the family's financial and medical insecurity—by confirming Mom's job and health insurance. The chapter also marks a shift in Bowen's character, as he moves from anxious observer to active supporter of his siblings.
The chapter's emotional climax—the narrator's release of held breath—gives readers a moment of catharsis while also acknowledging the psychological toll of living without a safety net. The narrator's reflection on blocking out fears of illness shows how children internalize and suppress worries they can't control.
Finally, the chapter plants seeds for future conflict. Mom's insistence that schools won't close, set against Mrs. Turner's remote-learning planning meetings, foreshadows the possibility that the narrator's fear of online school may still come true. The family's relief is real, but the pandemic's uncertainty remains.
Study Questions
1. Why does the narrator's relief about health insurance feel so profound, and what does it reveal about their inner life?
The narrator admits they've been blocking out thoughts of what would happen if anyone got sick, trying to convince themselves it wouldn't happen while secretly worrying. This reveals that the narrator has been carrying a heavy, unspoken burden—the fear that illness could financially devastate the family. The relief is profound because it releases a fear they didn't even allow themselves to fully feel.
2. How does Bowen's offer to help with online school represent a change in his character?
Earlier in the chapter, Bowen is consumed by pandemic anxiety, obsessively disinfecting groceries. His offer to help the narrator with online homework—and his suggestion to make a schedule—shows him channeling that anxiety into constructive action. His choice to play “Survivor” signals a shift from fear to resilience. Lea and the narrator's shocked reaction confirms this is out of character.
3. What role does the “Survivor” song play in the chapter's emotional arc?
The song arrives at the moment when the family's anxiety is highest—the narrator fears online school, and the news reports rising case numbers. Bowen's choice to play it transforms the mood, giving the family a shared anthem of resilience. The narrator's thought that they might survive online school extends the song's meaning, and by the chapter's end, the song accompanies the family's collective relief, with Lea dancing and the narrator rocking with emotion.