Chapter 9 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.

Otherwise, read on for a complete summary and analysis of Chapter 9.

Summary

The chapter opens with Amy and Josh riding the bus to Leonia, New Jersey, for his sister's graduation party. It is Josh's first visit home since being kicked out of school, and he is visibly anxious before they arrive. His sister has already secured a high-paying job at a consulting firm, and his cousins have similarly conventional careers. Amy tries to bolster Josh by reminding him that he is the only one pursuing something creative and passionate.

At the party, Amy brings a pink geranium in a clay pot and pastries. Josh's mother is warm and approving, hugging Amy and asking questions about her family. Amy tells her that her father lives in Florida and her mother is on a bridge cruise around Cape Horn, and when his mother asks if her parents are divorced, Amy confirms it and feels a small mark against her name. She also claims to have no siblings, which makes her feel squeamish, half expecting Ollie to appear.

Josh's father, meanwhile, does not get up from his lounger. He has a history of belittling Josh—calling him a girl for growing his hair long, a slur for piercing his ear, and now a bum for flunking out of college. Josh disappears into his childhood bedroom, and Amy follows. They have sex there, in his high school bedroom, with the family cat wandering in and out. During the encounter, Amy imagines herself as Winged Victory, a headless figure with enormous broken wings, and wishes she could hold Josh inside her no matter how much it hurts.

Afterward, the two settle into a pattern of domestic bickering—arguing about dishes, toothpaste, and making the bed. Amy needs a job, and Josh needs one too. She has been cashing her father's monthly checks while having essentially dropped out of her institute program, without telling either parent. Months have passed since her grant applications were rejected, and she is floundering.

They spread the Help Wanted ads from the Village Voice around them on the floor. Josh circles several listings; Amy circles zero. Josh puts on Van Morrison's