# Chapter 9: Audrey — 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 on the night of June 15, 1812, with Audrey lying awake in the guest room Lucy has given her. After tossing and turning for nearly an hour, she gives up on sleep. The room is dark, quiet, and unsettling — a stark contrast to the sounds of Pittsburgh she's used to. Earlier in the evening, things had felt almost adventurous: she ate duck for dinner, drank tea from a fancy cup, explored rooms, and inspected paintings. Martha even showed her smelling salts. But now, alone in the silence, the reality of being stranded in 1812 crashes over her.

Audrey catalogs everything she misses from 2023: her parents' voices through the wall, her dog Cooper snoring on her twin bed, her art supplies, Polaroid pictures, books, the glow of streetlights, the sound of cars and distant sirens. The silence of 1812 feels oppressive. She wonders whether she's been sent here for a purpose — a quest or lesson like the characters in the books hidden under Lucy's floorboards — but she can't see how a woman could come into her own in a time of corsets and hidden romance novels.

Desperate for company, she grabs her pillows and blanket and tiptoes to Lucy's room. Lucy lights a candle and invites her in. Audrey explains that she couldn't sleep because it's too quiet. Lucy asks what the future is like, and Audrey describes cars, planes that fly like birds, the internet, cell phones, and television. Lucy then asks the more personal question: what does Audrey do in the future?

Audrey's answer comes out as a ramble. She works at her parents' convenience store, has a dog named Cooper, and attends high school. She explains that in the future, women can be doctors, scientists, teachers, or artists — whatever they want — and that they can wear trousers. Lucy smiles broadly at this, and Audrey feels herself relax for the first time since arriving.

The conversation turns to parents. Audrey admits she misses her parents more than anything from the future. She describes their close relationship: living above the convenience store, early mornings behind the counter with her dad, learning family recipes from her mom, going to Pirates games, watching Netflix on their worn couch. She reflects on how they've been her constant support, especially after her breakup with Charlie and her friends graduating last year. She wonders why that safe, familiar life can't be enough — and whether that's the lesson she's meant to learn here.

Lucy listens quietly, then says that sounds nice. When Audrey asks if she's close to her parents, Lucy laughs and says she's the bane of her father's existence and prefers when he's not around. She immediately seems to regret saying it. When Audrey asks about her mother, Lucy reveals she died of a fever seven winters ago. They were very close. The conversation stops there.

Lucy offers Audrey the empty half of her bed, and Audrey eagerly joins her. As Lucy drifts off, Audrey listens to her breathing — a comforting sound that, for a moment, lets her pretend she's home.

Key Events

Audrey can't sleep in the dark, silent guest room and feels overwhelmed by being stranded in 1812
She reflects on everything she misses from 2023, including her parents, her dog Cooper, and the sounds of the city
She wonders if she's been sent to 1812 for a purpose, like the characters in the books under Lucy's floorboards
Audrey goes to Lucy's room for company; Lucy lights a candle and invites her in
Audrey describes modern life — cars, planes, the internet, cell phones, television — and explains that women in the future can pursue any career and wear trousers
Audrey shares how much she misses her parents and their close relationship
Lucy reveals she's not close to her father and that her mother died of a fever seven years ago
Lucy offers Audrey half her bed; Audrey accepts and finds comfort in Lucy's breathing as they fall asleep

Character Development

Audrey — This chapter deepens Audrey's emotional arc. Her homesickness is rendered in vivid, specific detail, and her admission that she misses her parents most reveals how central family is to her identity. Her reflection on whether the safe life she has — the convenience store, her parents, her routines — should be enough suggests she's beginning to question what she actually wants. The chapter also shows her vulnerability: she's scared, lonely, and willing to seek comfort from someone she barely knows.

Lucy — Lucy's guardedness begins to crack here. She reveals two significant pieces of her life: her difficult relationship with her father and the loss of her mother seven years ago. Her immediate regret after mentioning her father suggests she's not used to being open. Her smile at the idea of women's freedoms in the future hints at her own desires and frustrations with her constrained life. Offering Audrey half her bed is a small but meaningful act of trust.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fear of isolation and silence — The chapter's opening emphasizes the oppressive quiet of 1812. Audrey's fear isn't just about the dark; it's about being utterly alone, cut off from everyone she loves. The silence becomes a symbol of her isolation.

Longing for home and family — Audrey's catalog of what she misses — her parents' voices, Cooper's snoring, streetlights, sirens — grounds her homesickness in sensory detail. Her parents are the anchor of her emotional life.

Contrast between past and future — The conversation about cars, planes, and the internet highlights the technological gulf between the two eras. But the more meaningful contrast is social: Audrey's description of women's freedoms in the future stands in stark relief against Lucy's constrained life in 1812.

Grief and loss — Lucy's revelation about her mother's death adds a layer of grief to her character. Her clipped, hardened delivery suggests she's learned to suppress this pain.

Comfort in companionship — The chapter ends with a quiet moment of connection. Lucy's breathing becomes a lifeline for Audrey, a small anchor against the vast strangeness of her situation.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes the emotional foundation of Audrey and Lucy's relationship. It's the first real conversation they share, and it moves beyond surface politeness into genuine vulnerability. Audrey's homesickness and Lucy's grief create a bridge between them — two young women, in very different ways, who are navigating loss and uncertainty. The chapter also plants important questions: Why is Audrey here? What is she meant to learn? And it introduces the possibility that the answer may have less to do with a grand quest and more to do with human connection.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Audrey decide to visit Lucy's room, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?

Audrey visits Lucy because she can't bear the silence and isolation of her guest room. She's frightened, homesick, and desperate for the sound of another person. This reveals how vulnerable and unmoored she feels — she's willing to seek comfort from someone she barely knows because she has no one else.

2. What does the conversation about the future reveal about the differences between Audrey's and Lucy's worlds?

The conversation highlights both technological and social differences. Audrey describes cars, planes, the internet, and cell phones — technologies Lucy can barely imagine. More significantly, Audrey explains that women in the future can pursue any career and wear trousers, which makes Lucy smile broadly. This contrast underscores how limited Lucy's options are in 1812 and hints at her own unspoken desires.

3. How does the chapter's ending reflect the theme of comfort in companionship?

After their conversation, Lucy offers Audrey half her bed. Audrey joins her and finds that Lucy's breathing — slow and even as she falls asleep — is enough to quiet her panic. For a moment, she can pretend she's home. The ending shows that even a small, quiet connection can be a powerful source of comfort in the face of overwhelming isolation.