Chapter 23 (Chapter 25) 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
The chapter unfolds five summers ago on Sanibel Island, the last night of the trip. Poppy lies awake replaying the week through a hazy lens, trying to capture a specific fleeting moment. She recalls stormy beaches, watching The Twilight Zone with Alex, and a seafood dinner where Alex detailed his breakup with Sarah. Sarah had told him their relationship was as exciting as the library where they met, then left for a three-week yoga retreat. Poppy jokingly offered to key Sarah’s car. Her memory jumps to the bar called BAR, where she steps out of the bathroom to see Alex reading at the bar and feels an overwhelming love. After he rejects her over‑the‑top “Hey, tiger!” attempt to cheer him, they run through the rain to the car and drive back to the bungalow. Alex surprises her by taking a picture with the flash on the count of two instead of three; they laugh and argue about deleting it. He then says, “Next year let’s go somewhere cold,” and Poppy agrees. In the quiet that follows, while they are just looking at each other, Poppy thinks, I am in love with you. She finds the idea terrifying and probably untrue, but later feels a burning in her palms as proof she once held that thought.
Key Events
- Poppy recalls Alex’s breakup details: Sarah found their relationship boring and left for a yoga retreat.
- At the bar BAR, Poppy sees Alex reading a book and feels a surge of love for him.
- Alex deliberately triggers a flash on the wrong count when taking a picture, scaring Poppy and making them laugh.
- Alex suggests going somewhere cold the following year, and Poppy agrees.
- In a quiet, ordinary moment of just looking at each other, Poppy first consciously acknowledges she is in love with Alex.
- Poppy suppresses the thought, considering it dangerous and possibly untrue, but later senses a physical trace of having held it.
Character Development
This chapter marks a turning point for Poppy. Until now, her feelings for Alex have been implicit, hidden under their easy friendship and her fear of disrupting it. Here, she explicitly names her love for him, even as she tries to dismiss it. The memory’s elusiveness—the way the moment “slips through her fingers”—shows her discomfort with confronting the depth of her attachment. Alex is seen in a vulnerable post‑breakup state, but also as someone who initiates small, joyful rituals (the prank photo) that bond them. His suggestion to go somewhere cold next year reinforces his commitment to their tradition.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Memory and the Elusiveness of Truth: Poppy describes trying to catch “one split second” that keeps “winking out of view.” This reflects the human struggle to pin down pivotal moments, and how the significance of an instant often becomes clear only in retrospect.
- Love and Friendship: The chapter stages the first overt recognition of romantic love within a deep friendship. Poppy’s terror shows the high stakes of that realization: confessing could ruin what they have.
- Physical Sensation as Proof: The burning in Poppy’s palms after releasing the thought symbolizes that even suppressed emotions leave a tangible mark, suggesting that denial cannot erase truth.
Why This Chapter Matters
This flashback is the emotional pivot of the novel. It supplies the critical moment when Poppy realizes she loves Alex, a secret that has shaped every trip since. From this point forward, readers understand why she has been so guarded and why their friendship has such charged undertones. The memory also introduces the “picture” motif—the flawed, shared image that both captures and distorts their relationship.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Poppy have difficulty grasping the moment when she first thinks “I am in love with you”?
She describes it as a moment with “no hard edges” and no “distinct markers,” making it impossible to separate from countless similar instances. The thought itself terrifies her, so her mind may be resisting fully reliving it.
2. What does Alex’s behavior in this chapter reveal about his emotional state after the breakup with Sarah?
He shares the painful details openly with Poppy, showing trust. His prank with the camera flash and his suggestion for the next trip indicate he is trying to move forward and preserve their friendship rituals, even while still hurt.
3. How does the physical sensation in Poppy’s palms function as a symbol?
The burning sensation in her palms, after she mentally releases the thought of being in love with Alex, represents how powerful emotions cannot be easily discarded. It implies that her love persists whether she acknowledges it or not.