Chapter 24: Five Summers Ago – Summary & Analysis

Spoiler Warning: This chapter summary and analysis includes plot details from Chapter 24 of People We Meet on Vacation. The chapter is a flashback to the Sanibel Island trip, five years before the present timeline. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, please read the chapter first.

Summary

On the last night of the Sanibel Island vacation, Poppy lies awake listening to rain on the roof. She mentally replays the week’s events through a hazy, almost impenetrable shimmer of memory. She recalls stormy beaches, a Twilight marathon they watched while dozing on the couch, and the night at a seafood restaurant where Alex finally shared the painful details of his breakup with Sarah. Sarah told Alex their relationship was as exciting as the library where they met, then left him for a three-week yoga retreat. Poppy jokingly offers to key Sarah’s car if she wants excitement.

Her memory jumps to the bar called BAR, with its sticky floors and ceiling fans. Returning from the restroom, she sees Alex reading a book at the bar and is hit by an overwhelming wave of love for him. She tries to distract him from his heartbreak with an exaggerated “Hey there, tiger.” Next she remembers them dashing through pouring rain to the car and listening to the squeaking windshield wipers on the drive back.

Poppy focuses on the moment she keeps trying and failing to grasp—a fleeting spot of reflected light dancing across the floor. In that memory, Alex asked her to take a photo, surprising her by snapping it after two seconds instead of three. They ended up laughing, complaining about how bad the picture was, and arguing over whether to delete it. Alex insisted she didn’t look like that in real life, and she said the same to him. Then he suggested they go somewhere cold next year, and she agreed.

In the following silence, they simply looked at each other. The memory has no hard edges or clear beginning, no discernible difference from millions of other moments. But in that instant, Poppy thought for the first time: I am in love with you. She recognizes the thought as frightening and perhaps even untrue, but she feels it burning in her palms like proof that she once held the moment.

Key Events

Poppy lies awake replaying flashbacks of the Sanibel trip.
Alex reveals the humiliating end of his relationship with Sarah.
At the bar, Poppy feels a sudden, powerful love for Alex.
They run through rain to the car and ride back in comfortable silence.
Alex takes an intentionally premature photo of them, causing laughter.
They discuss next year’s vacation plan to a cold destination.
In the ensuing shared look, Poppy acknowledges to herself that she loves him.

Character Development

Poppy: This chapter pulls back the curtain on Poppy’s true feelings. For years she has defined her relationship with Alex as a best friendship, but here she admits—at least to herself—that her love is romantic. Her internal conflict grows: she both wants to hold onto the feeling and fears its implications. This moment also shows her protective side: hearing about Sarah’s cruelty makes Poppy want to defend Alex.
Alex: Even though Alex is seen only through Poppy’s memory, he comes across as vulnerable and still raw from his breakup. His suggestion of a future vacation underscores how much he values their annual trips and, by extension, Poppy herself.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Memory and time: Much of the chapter is about Poppy’s inability to fully capture the exact moment of realization. The memory is described as a spot of reflected light that dances out of reach—illustrating how transformative moments can feel both vivid and slippery.
Love vs. friendship: The central tension of the novel is born here. Poppy’s romantic awareness threatens to reclassify a decade of friendship. The chapter shows that underneath the comfortable banter and travel rituals, something deeper has been brewing.
Light and burning: Poppy feels the moment “burning in my palms,” suggesting that even if she tries to deny it, the truth leaves a permanent mark. This image recurs conceptually whenever she reflects on their bond.
Travel as a catalyst: Once again, a vacation provides the space for emotional breakthroughs. Alex’s offhand suggestion of the next trip symbolizes the continuity of their relationship, even as it shifts.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 24 is the emotional linchpin of the novel. It provides the first clear evidence that Poppy fell in love with Alex long before the present-day timeline. This revelation makes the events of the intervening years—especially the rift that separated them—far more tragic and poignant. Readers now understand that Poppy’s choices were not merely about friendship but about protecting herself from a love she considered dangerous. The chapter also recontextualizes every earlier interaction in the book, giving the present-day story a deeper resonance.

Study Questions and Answers

Question: Why is the chapter titled “Five Summers Ago” and what does that timeframe mean for the story? Answer: The chapter takes place five years before the novel’s present action. This flashback establishes that Poppy’s romantic feelings for Alex are not new; they have been hidden for half a decade. It is the missing piece that explains why Poppy’s relationship with Alex became strained and why she still measures every choice against that memory.
Question: How does Poppy’s memory of the photo moment differ from her other memories in the chapter? Answer: Other memories—stormy beaches, the Twilight marathon, the bar—are relatively clear and have a narrative flow. The photo moment, however, is described as having “no hard edges” and lacking a clear beginning or end. This difference signals that the photo moment is more significant: it marks a boundary between her old understanding of their friendship and a new awareness of romantic love.
Question: Why does Poppy call the thought “I am in love with you” both frightening and possibly untrue? Answer: Poppy fears that acknowledging romantic love will ruin the friendship she treasures most. The thought is “dangerous” because admitting it could force her to act on it, risking rejection or the loss of their comfortable bond. She also doubts herself, wondering if she is misreading her own emotions after a week of intense closeness. The burning sensation in her palms, however, suggests that the feeling is real even if she is not ready to accept it.