Chapter 43 Summary, Key Themes, and Character 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 Julia and Alma waiting in short-term parking at O'Hare for Anita's delayed flight. Julia makes small talk about a woman's skirt, noting that trends are cyclical, and Alma responds with typical teenage disinterest. Julia considers mentioning the stolen Jesus and Mary Chain T-shirt but doesn't.

Alma asks why she has never met her grandmother. Julia explains that Anita appeared unexpectedly just before Alma was born—on Julia's due date—but left without warning, leaving a note on the coffeepot. Hours later, Julia's water broke. Alma is surprised and somewhat accusatory, noting that Ben got to meet Anita, but Julia explains that meeting wasn't planned either. Alma apologizes and asks more gently what they did during Anita's visit. Julia mentions touristy activities and a movie about pirates. When Alma asks why Anita left, Julia admits she wasn't completely surprised, though she can't fully explain why without going deeper into her past than she's willing.

Alma asks if something happened between Julia and her mother. Julia struggles to answer, saying people fall out of each other's lives sometimes. She reflects that she can't tell Alma what happened when she herself was seventeen, but omitting it feels unfair. She describes Anita as not a bad person, with a good sense of humor, more exciting than Julia herself.

Julia receives a text from Anita saying she's arrived. She drives to the arrivals queue and sees Anita with a broad, tanned older man in a baseball cap. Julia gets out and embraces her mother awkwardly. Anita introduces Marshall Torres. Julia jokes about him being her parole officer, which makes him laugh. Anita seems surprised Julia didn't know Marshall would be joining her.

Alma gets out of the car. Anita comments on her height (five-ten), comparing her to Larry Bird, and says she's quite pretty. Alma thanks her awkwardly. Anita laughs and calls her a liar, just like her mom. As Marshall loads luggage, Anita makes a remark about only lesbians driving Subarus. Alma challenges her, saying she isn't allowed to say things like that anymore. Anita sidesteps Alma and takes the passenger seat, closing the door hard, and regards them expectantly.

Key Events

Alma asks why she has never met her grandmother, prompting Julia to reveal the story of Anita's brief visit before Alma's birth
Julia explains Anita left a note on the coffeepot and disappeared hours before Julia's water broke
Anita arrives at O'Hare with Marshall Torres, a companion Julia didn't know about
Alma meets her grandmother for the first time; Anita comments on her height and appearance
Anita makes a dated remark about Subarus and lesbians, which Alma challenges
Anita takes the passenger seat, displacing Alma

Character Development

Julia — This chapter reveals the depth of Julia's unresolved feelings about her mother. She admits to Alma that she hasn't seen Anita in seventeen years and that it's a complicated situation. She shows vulnerability in explaining that she thought Anita would stay and was devastated when she didn't. Her protective instinct toward Alma is evident when Anita scrutinizes her daughter. She also reflects on how Alma's birth shifted her perspective, noting that the baby inside her that morning seemed to console her.

Alma — Alma shows curiosity and a rare moment of gentleness. She presses Julia for answers but apologizes when she realizes she's being accusatory. She challenges Anita's outdated comment about Subarus and lesbians, showing a generational difference in values. Her awkwardness in meeting her grandmother is palpable—she stoops her shoulders, flushes, and gives a stilted compliment.

Anita — Anita arrives with Marshall, suggesting she's moved on in ways Julia didn't anticipate. Her blunt comments about Alma's height and her joke about lesbians and Subarus show her lack of filter. She takes the passenger seat without asking, displacing Alma, and closes the door hard—a detail Julia connects to the Oldsmobile door from her childhood.

Marshall — A new character who laughs easily and seems warm. He kisses Julia's hand and seems to have been under the impression Anita had told Julia he'd be coming. His casual tenderness toward Anita—touching her shoulder blades, calling her honey—is striking to Julia.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Maternal estrangement and abandonment — The chapter centers on the seventeen-year gap between Julia and her mother. Julia's explanation of Anita's note on the coffeepot and her subsequent departure hours before labor begins underscores the theme of abandonment.

Generational patterns — Julia reflects on seeing Alma and Anita side by side, noting that she is the logical midpoint between them. The chapter suggests cycles of behavior repeating across generations, though Alma's willingness to challenge Anita hints at possible change.

The car as a space of confrontation — The chapter is set almost entirely in and around Julia's Subaru. The car becomes a site of difficult conversation, awkward reunion, and ultimately displacement when Anita takes Alma's seat.

Protective parenting — Julia's instinct to shield Alma from her mother's sharp edges is evident throughout, from her hesitation about the reunion to her policing of Anita's comments.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter brings Julia's estranged mother into the present timeline for the first time, forcing Julia to confront the past she's been avoiding. It also marks the first meeting between Alma and her grandmother, creating a three-generation tableau that illuminates how patterns of behavior have—or haven't—repeated. The introduction of Marshall adds a new dynamic, suggesting Anita's life has continued in ways Julia knows nothing about. The chapter deepens our understanding of Julia's backstory and sets up the tensions that will likely play out over the weekend.

Study Questions

1. Why does Julia struggle to answer Alma's question about what happened between her and Anita?

Julia can't tell Alma what happened when she herself was seventeen, but omitting it feels unfair and implicates her in a way that doesn't feel right. She's caught between protecting her daughter from the truth and protecting herself from being misunderstood.

2. What does Anita's comment about Subarus and lesbians reveal about the generational divide?

Anita's remark reflects an outdated stereotype that Alma immediately challenges, saying she isn't allowed to say things like that anymore. The exchange highlights how social norms have shifted and how Alma, as a younger person, is more attuned to inclusive language than her grandmother.

3. How does the chapter use the car as a setting to reinforce its themes?

The car is where Julia and Alma have their honest conversation about Anita's abandonment. It's also where the reunion happens—Julia pulling up to the curb, Alma displaced from the passenger seat. The car becomes a confined space that forces intimacy and confrontation, and Anita's hard door slam connects to Julia's childhood memories.