Chapter Ten 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 opens with Sasha recalling her childhood crush on Harrison Ford—an obsession so intense that she would cry over the impossibility of ever being with him. She later shares this memory with Cord while they lie in bed, slightly drunk. Cord confesses his own childhood infatuation with Little Debbie, the girl on the snack cake box, and the two launch into a playful ranking of cartoon mascots by attractiveness. The conversation is silly and intimate, and Sasha realizes that Cord's willingness to be vulnerable and absurd is what makes her fall fully in love with him.

The narrative then shifts to Cord's personality: he is described as pure sunshine, a man of simple pleasures who moans appreciatively over food, sings along to any song on the radio, and cries during Father of the Bride. Sasha knows he will be a wonderful father, especially given how he dotes on his niece and nephew.

In June, Cord's best friend Tim has a baby, and Cord becomes broody. He starts admiring strollers on the street, buys an elaborate baby gift, and even watches a diaper change. Sasha, meanwhile, worries about her one-woman design business—she has several clients, including a bed linen company and a luxury hotel, and she fears pausing her work will cost her those accounts. Still, she agrees to try for a baby. Her mother encourages her, saying there's never a perfect time.

They begin trying. The first month fails, and Sasha is surprised by her disappointment. The second month, her period is a day late, and she buys four pregnancy tests. The first shows a faint second line; Cord is skeptical, but over the next few days the line darkens, and by the fourth test it is solid magenta. Sasha is pregnant.

Immediately, Sasha's nesting instincts kick in. She sees hazards everywhere in the limestone—the glass coffee table, the bar cart with alcohol, the old lamp wires. She suggests setting up a nursery in Georgiana's room, but Cord dismisses the urgency, saying the baby won't crawl for a year. He tells her to just enjoy being pregnant. Sasha is too exhausted to argue.

At a Drink and Draw session with her friend Vara, a heavily pregnant model poses nude. Sasha is struck by the reality of the woman's body—the low, egg-shaped belly, the visible veins—and for the first time, her own pregnancy feels real. Vara teases her about not drinking and about future maternity clothes, but Sasha deflects.

At eight weeks, Sasha has a doctor's appointment where she hears the baby's heartbeat. She calls her mother to share the news. Her mother is thrilled but then, in a hushed voice from the pantry, reveals that Sasha's father has been experiencing shortness of breath and that his inhaler isn't helping. She asks Sasha not to tell her father that she mentioned it. Sasha is frustrated and feels distant from her family. After the call, she stalks into the sitting room, gathers up a bag of clutter—old CDs, pens, magazines, a ship in a bottle—and disposes of it in the neighbor's trash can.

Key Events

Sasha and Cord bond over childhood crushes and a playful mascot ranking.
Cord becomes broody after Tim's baby is born and expresses a strong desire to have children.
Sasha worries about pausing her design business but agrees to try.
After one failed month, Sasha gets a positive pregnancy test, confirmed over several days.
Sasha begins nesting and wants to babyproof, but Cord remains relaxed and dismissive.
At a Drink and Draw, a pregnant model makes Sasha's pregnancy feel real.
At eight weeks, Sasha confirms the pregnancy with a doctor and calls her mother.
Her mother reveals her father's health issues and asks Sasha to keep it secret.
Sasha, frustrated, declutters the sitting room and throws items in the neighbor's trash.

Character Development

Sasha undergoes a significant shift in this chapter. She moves from a career-focused designer to a soon-to-be mother, and her anxiety manifests in both nesting and a sense of helplessness. Her reaction to her father's health news—feeling distant and then aggressively decluttering—shows her tendency to cope with emotional stress through physical action. She also reveals a more vulnerable side, as her childhood crush and her fear of losing her business show her insecurities.

Cord is portrayed as enthusiastic and optimistic, almost to a fault. His joy in simple things and his eagerness to become a father contrast sharply with Sasha's worry. He dismisses her babyproofing concerns, telling her to enjoy being pregnant, which highlights a potential disconnect in how they approach parenthood.

Vara appears briefly but reinforces her role as a blunt, teasing friend who senses Sasha's pregnancy before it's confirmed.

Sasha's mother is shown as caring but secretive, choosing to hide her husband's health issues from Sasha to avoid worrying her. This pattern of protective secrecy contributes to Sasha's feeling of distance.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Pregnancy and Anxiety: The chapter explores the gap between the idealized vision of pregnancy and its physical and emotional realities. Sasha's nesting instinct and her fear of hazards symbolize her attempt to control an uncontrollable situation.
Communication and Secrets: The mother's request to keep her father's condition a secret echoes the larger theme of family members protecting each other from worry, often creating distance instead.
Optimism vs. Realism: Cord's carefree attitude toward the baby's arrival contrasts with Sasha's practical concerns, setting up a potential source of conflict.
Decluttering as Coping: Sasha's act of throwing away items is a physical manifestation of her desire to purge anxiety and regain a sense of agency.
The Pregnant Body: The model's body serves as a symbol of the raw, unglamorous reality of pregnancy, grounding Sasha's experience.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it confirms Sasha's pregnancy and introduces the central tension of her impending motherhood. It also deepens our understanding of Sasha's family dynamics, particularly her relationship with her parents and the pattern of protective secrecy that leaves her feeling isolated. The contrast between Cord's enthusiasm and Sasha's anxiety foreshadows potential disagreements about parenting styles. Additionally, the chapter reveals Sasha's coping mechanisms—her tendency to channel emotional distress into physical action—which will likely recur as the story progresses.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Sasha's reaction to the pregnancy test differ from Cord's, and what does this reveal about their personalities?

Sasha is eager to see the result immediately, while Cord is cautious and reads the instructions carefully. He doubts the faint line and suggests waiting to see if it darkens. This shows Sasha's impulsive, emotionally driven nature, while Cord is more measured and logical. It also hints at their different approaches to parenthood: Sasha is anxious and proactive, while Cord is relaxed and trusts that things will work out.

2. Why does Sasha feel distant from her family after the phone call with her mother?

Her mother reveals that her father has been having shortness of breath but asks Sasha not to tell him she mentioned it. This secrecy makes Sasha feel excluded from her family's inner workings and powerless to help. The fact that her mother waited to share the news until after Sasha's happy announcement also suggests that Sasha's family sees her as someone who needs protection, which frustrates her.

3. What does Sasha's decision to throw away the clutter in the sitting room symbolize?

The clutter represents the accumulated stress and lack of control Sasha feels about her pregnancy and her father's health. By discarding these objects, she attempts to physically remove the sources of her anxiety and create a sense of order. The act is impulsive and secretive (she uses the neighbor's trash), mirroring her mother's secretive behavior and highlighting her need to take action when she feels helpless.

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