Chapter 117: Start — Summary, Themes, 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
Chapter 117, “Start,” is one of the briefest chapters in the book, and its brevity is part of its meaning. The chapter opens on the day after the events of the previous chapter. The narrator’s first action is to call Sunny and ask whether Sunny can come over. After that call ends, the narrator makes two more phone calls. In short order, the narrator’s three best friends are together with her once more. The group tunes the radio to the station WPOP, and the chapter closes with this reunion.
The chapter is structured as a sequence of small, deliberate actions: a phone call, a question, two more calls, a gathering, a radio dial. Each action builds on the last, and the chapter moves from solitude to togetherness in a handful of lines. The title “Start” signals that this moment is a beginning rather than an ending.
The chapter contains no internal reflection and no extended dialogue. The narrator asks one direct question to Sunny, and the rest of the chapter is conveyed through action. This spare structure is consistent with the novel-in-verse form, where each line carries weight and the gaps between lines matter as much as the words themselves.
Key Events
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The narrator calls Sunny the day after the previous chapter’s events and asks if Sunny can come over.
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The narrator makes two additional phone calls.
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The narrator’s three best friends arrive and are together with her once more.
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The group tunes the radio to WPOP.
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The chapter ends with the friends together, listening to the radio.
Character Development
The chapter shows the narrator, Reha, taking initiative. Her first action is to reach out to Sunny, and then to two more friends. This is a chapter about agency: Reha is the one who makes the calls, asks the question, and brings the group together. The chapter shows her doing this without hesitation or internal commentary, which suggests a shift toward action rather than deliberation.
Sunny’s response is also notable. She is asked if she can come over, and the chapter’s quick progression implies that she agrees. The three friends’ willingness to come together quickly suggests a bond that has endured.
The chapter does not include dialogue beyond the narrator’s question to Sunny, and it does not include internal reflection. The absence of commentary is itself a choice: the actions speak for themselves. Reha is defined in this chapter by what she does, not by what she thinks or says.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Reaching out. The chapter is built on phone calls. Reaching out is the chapter’s central action, and it is shown as simple and direct. The narrator does not deliberate; she calls. The chapter suggests that reconnection begins with a single, concrete gesture.
Friendship reunion. The gathering of the three best friends is the chapter’s emotional core. The chapter moves from a single call to a full reunion in a few lines, emphasizing the strength of the friendship. The friends arrive quickly, and their presence together is presented as the natural result of the narrator’s calls.
New beginnings. The title “Start” frames the chapter as a fresh beginning. The reunion and the shared listening to music suggest a new phase. The chapter’s placement—coming after the events of the previous day—reinforces the idea that this is a turning point.
Music as shared experience. Tuning the radio to WPOP is the chapter’s final action. The friends share the experience of listening together, and music becomes a way of being together without needing words. The radio station is a specific detail that grounds the scene in a shared cultural moment.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 117 matters because it is a turning point. The title “Start” is explicit: this is a new beginning. The chapter shows Reha taking the first step to bring her friends back together, and it ends with the group reunited, listening to music. The brevity of the chapter mirrors its function: it is a pivot, not a destination.
The chapter also matters for what it does not include. There is no long reflection, no extended dialogue, no flashback. The spare structure forces the reader to focus on the actions themselves. The calls, the gathering, and the radio are presented as enough.
Finally, the chapter sets up what comes next. The friends are together, the radio is on, and the chapter ends. Whatever follows will happen in the context of this reunion. The chapter’s title promises a beginning, and the final image of the friends listening together delivers on that promise.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the chapter open with the narrator calling Sunny?
The chapter opens with the narrator calling Sunny because the narrator is taking the first step to reconnect. The question “Can you come over?” is direct and practical, and it initiates the sequence of calls that leads to the reunion. The choice to open with this call establishes that the narrator is the one who brings the group together.
2. What is the significance of the chapter’s title, “Start”?
The title “Start” signals that the chapter is a beginning. The narrator’s actions—calling friends, gathering them, tuning the radio—are all acts of starting something new. The title also contrasts with the brevity of the chapter: a start can be small, but it is still a start. The word “Start” frames the reunion as the first step of a new phase rather than the end of an old one.
3. How does the chapter use music?
The chapter ends with the friends tuning the radio to WPOP. Music functions as a shared experience that brings the group together without requiring conversation. The act of tuning the radio together is the final image of the chapter, suggesting that the friends are now in a shared space. The radio station’s name is the only proper noun in the chapter besides the characters’ names, which gives it weight as a marker of the group’s togetherness.