Chapter 13 Summary and Study Guide

⚠️ 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

A week before her wedding to Marc, Amy thinks she spots Josh in Washington Square Park. They haven’t spoken since he moved in with Ellen, and she’s not sure it’s him—his head is shaved and his body looks sturdier. But when he runs up to her and hugs her hard, all the old familiarity returns. They walk to Café Dante, their old haunt, and catch up. Josh explains that Ellen moved back to Wisconsin in disgrace after her play, The Glass Menagerie, was canceled—she forgot her lines on opening night, audiences walked out, and the production shuttered after two weeks. In solidarity, Josh quit acting and now works at a theater bookstore in Midtown, where he reads plays and helps actors find monologues. He’s been crashing in the basement until he saves enough for his own place.

Amy is embarrassed to admit she’s marrying a lawyer and living on the Upper East Side, but Josh is genuinely enthusiastic about her editing career. When Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” plays, he leans in and sings to her, and she feels a rush of attraction and danger. He tells her Ellen wants to marry him and have babies, and then, half-joking, he says, “Let’s run away.” Amy blurts out that she’s getting married next weekend, and without thinking, she invites him and Ellen to the wedding.

That evening, Marc is home early, and Amy feels guilty when he asks where she’s been. She mentions running into Josh, but she doesn’t tell Marc she invited him. The next day, Amy’s mother insists she try on her wedding dress. Her mother steps into it first, admiring her own figure, then hands it to Amy. The dress swims on Amy, and her mother dismisses it as not worth taking in, adding that there’s no point saving it for Ollie.

The night before the wedding, Marc stays in a hotel suite with his groomsmen. Amy’s friend Courtney gives her a racy shower basket and books spa appointments. After the spa, Amy is alone when Josh calls and asks to come over. He arrives stoned and hyper, sits too close, and then, in a strange ventriloquist’s voice, tells her she’s making a big mistake. He kisses her hungrily, and she responds. The phone rings—it’s Marc, drunk, calling to say goodnight. Amy covers the mouthpiece, terrified Josh will make a sound. After she hangs up, Josh apologizes, but Amy sends him away. She locks the door, showers, and tries to calm down.

On the wedding morning, Amy’s mother visits her in the bridal suite and gives her an oxblood leather jewelry box containing a three-strand pearl necklace with a butterfly clasp and yellow diamonds—a family heirloom that was meant for Ollie. Amy confronts her mother, accusing her of wishing this were Ollie’s wedding and of punishing her for not being Ollie. Her mother deflects, asking if her therapist taught her that. The florist interrupts, and Amy opens the box anyway. She tells Courtney she won’t wear the necklace, but Courtney insists it’s stunning. Amy then confesses what happened with Josh the night before; Courtney rationalizes that it doesn’t count because they didn’t have sex.

At the ceremony, Amy’s parents walk her down the aisle together, a compromise her mother grumbled about. Amy listens for the caw of the crow and looks for Ollie, but she doesn’t come. Just as the justice of the peace is about to speak, the doors open and Josh and Ellen arrive late, standing at the rear. Amy and Marc exchange vows robotically. At the reception, Josh dances wildly, then pulls Amy onto the floor, dips her, and kisses her hard on the lips before leaving with Ellen. Marc is furious and sits out the next two dances.

During the honeymoon, Amy wants to confess but doesn’t, and she minimizes the incident to herself. In the months that follow, she and Marc drift apart. She complains to her therapist Paul about small wedding grievances, avoiding the real issue. When she finally tells him about Josh, she downplays it, and Paul suggests self-sabotage and connects Josh to Ollie—the chaos she’s drawn to. Amy storms out of the session.

The marriage deteriorates. Marc accuses Amy of being withholding and unable to say “I love you.” They try couples counseling with Marta Keller, a warm but sharp therapist. Marc brings up Josh’s behavior at the wedding, and Amy refuses to admit she’s in love with him. Marta challenges Marc’s agency, asking why he let Josh do that. Marc eventually stands up and says they’re done. The divorce is quick and clean—no shared accounts, no property, no children. Amy reflects that Marc’s only regret was marrying her.

Key Events

Amy runs into Josh in Washington Square Park a week before her wedding; they reunite at Café Dante.
Josh reveals Ellen’s failed acting career and his own job at a theater bookstore.
Amy invites Josh and Ellen to the wedding without telling Marc.
The night before the wedding, Josh comes to Amy’s apartment and kisses her; Marc’s phone call interrupts them.
On the wedding morning, Amy’s mother gives her the pearl necklace meant for Ollie, sparking a confrontation about favoritism.
Josh and Ellen arrive late to the ceremony; Josh dances with Amy and kisses her at the reception before leaving.
Amy doesn’t confess during the honeymoon and minimizes the incident.
The marriage declines; Amy and Marc enter couples counseling with Marta Keller.
Marc cites Josh’s behavior as the reason for the marriage’s failure; the couple divorces.

Character Development

Amy — This chapter exposes Amy’s pattern of self-sabotage. She’s drawn to Josh’s chaos even as she chooses Marc’s stability. Her inability to confess to Marc, or even to fully admit her own feelings, shows her emotional withholding. Her confrontation with her mother reveals deep-seated resentment about being compared to Ollie, and her refusal to wear the necklace is a small act of rebellion. In therapy, she resists Paul’s suggestion that Josh represents Ollie, but the parallel is clear: she’s attracted to the very disorder she claims to want to escape.

Marc — Marc emerges as a man who craves emotional reciprocity but can’t get it from Amy. He’s warm and forthcoming in couples counseling, but his frustration turns sharp and nasty. His need for unconditional love—rooted in being motherless—makes Amy’s reticence unbearable. His decision to end the marriage is decisive, and his final line about regretting only the marriage underscores his black-and-white worldview.

Josh — Josh remains a chaotic force. He’s impulsive, emotionally needy, and reckless—showing up drunk the night before the wedding and making a spectacle at the reception. Yet he’s also vulnerable, apologizing and asking for a hug. He represents the alternative life Amy didn’t choose, and his presence forces her to confront her own desires.

Amy’s mother — She’s revealed as deeply invested in appearances and in Ollie, even at Amy’s wedding. Her gift of the necklace is both a gesture of love and a reminder of Amy’s second-place status. Her coldness and deflection when confronted show her inability to engage with Amy’s feelings.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Self-sabotage — Amy’s invitation to Josh, her response to his kiss, and her refusal to confess all point to a pattern of undermining her own happiness.
Sibling rivalry — The pearl necklace meant for Ollie is a tangible symbol of Amy’s lifelong second-place position. Amy’s outburst about not being Ollie makes this explicit.
Chaos vs. convention — Josh embodies chaos; Marc embodies convention. Amy is torn between the two, and her marriage to Marc is an attempt to choose safety, which she then sabotages.
Emotional withholding — Amy’s inability to say “I love you” or to share her feelings with Marc is a central conflict.
Guilt — Amy’s guilt about Josh pervades the chapter, from her lie to Marc about the invitation to her silence during the honeymoon.
Family legacy — The pearl necklace and the wedding dress represent the weight of family expectations and the impossibility of living up to them.
Therapy — Both Paul and Marta serve as mirrors, forcing Amy to confront truths she’d rather avoid.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the turning point of the novel. It shows the collapse of Amy’s marriage in real time, from the impulsive invitation to Josh to the final divorce. It also deepens our understanding of Amy’s psychology: her attraction to chaos, her resentment of her mother, and her unresolved feelings about Ollie. The chapter’s therapy scenes are crucial because they articulate the novel’s central insight—that Amy’s relationships are shaped by her sister’s shadow. The divorce is not just a failed marriage; it’s the culmination of Amy’s lifelong pattern of self-sabotage and emotional withdrawal.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Amy invite Josh to the wedding, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?

Amy invites Josh impulsively, without thinking, and without telling Marc. This reveals her ambivalence about the marriage and her attraction to the chaos Josh represents. She’s not fully committed to Marc, and inviting Josh is a way of keeping a door open—or, as Paul later suggests, a form of self-sabotage.

2. How does the pearl necklace function as a symbol in this chapter?

The pearl necklace was meant for Ollie, and Amy’s mother gives it to her only because Ollie isn’t getting married. It symbolizes Amy’s lifelong second-place status in her mother’s eyes. Amy’s refusal to wear it is a rejection of that role, but she ultimately wears it during the ceremony, suggesting she can’t fully escape her family’s expectations.

3. What does Marc’s behavior in couples counseling reveal about the marriage’s failure?

Marc is open and willing to work, but he needs emotional feedback that Amy can’t provide. His frustration turns to anger, and he ultimately blames Josh’s behavior at the wedding as the cause. Marta’s question—why did Marc let Josh do that?—suggests that Marc also played a role, perhaps by not asserting himself. The marriage fails because both partners are unable to bridge their emotional differences, and Amy’s withholding is the final straw.