Chapter 17: Summary, Themes, and Key Takeaways

⚠️ 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 17 alternates between two parallel storylines: Phil's therapy session and Nisha's precarious new life.

Phil's Session with Dr. Kovitz

Phil opens up to Dr. Kovitz about his wife Sam's recent behavior. He describes her as distant, often out of the house, and unusually attentive to her appearance—wearing makeup most days, which he finds uncharacteristic. He admits their physical relationship has lapsed for nearly a year, and he feels he has let her down. When the therapist asks about his father's death and what defines a “real man,” Phil becomes defensive, dismisses the conversation as “word games,” and abruptly leaves. Dr. Kovitz schedules another session, but Phil's internal shame and avoidance remain unresolved.

Nisha's Week at Jasmine's Flat

Nisha has spent three nights at Jasmine's cramped apartment, commuting with her to the hotel and helping with chores. She observes Jasmine's relentless routine—early starts, evening ironing, and caring for her daughter Grace, who resents Nisha's presence. Despite the lack of privacy and constant noise, Nisha feels gratitude and awe for Jasmine's resilience.

While pushing a cleaning trolley, Nisha spots Charlotte Willis wearing her expensive Chloé shearling coat. The sight triggers rage, and Jasmine urges her to “play the long game.” Later, Aleks, a hotel chef, lends Nisha his phone to call Carl. She arranges to meet him at the hotel lobby that day. With Jasmine and Viktor's help, she borrows a black suit and silk blouse from the laundry room, and Jasmine does her hair and makeup.

At the meeting, Carl apologizes and offers a settlement, but his tone shifts when he notices her shoes. He demands the return of her Louboutins, which were lost in the bag swap. When Nisha explains they were stolen, Carl insists she gets nothing without them and walks away, leaving her stunned.

Key Events

Phil reveals to Dr. Kovitz that Sam has been distant and wearing makeup, and that their intimacy has lapsed for nearly a year.
Phil deflects questions about his father and storms out of therapy, unable to confront his shame.
Nisha settles into Jasmine's flat, helping with chores and enduring Grace's hostility.
Nisha sees Charlotte wearing her Chloé coat and nearly confronts her; Jasmine counsels patience.
Aleks offers his phone, and Nisha calls Carl, arranging a meeting at the hotel.
Jasmine and Viktor help Nisha borrow clothes and prepare for the meeting.
Carl meets Nisha, apologizes, and proposes a settlement—but then fixates on her missing Louboutins.
Carl declares she gets nothing without the shoes and leaves with Ari.

Character Development

Phil

Phil's vulnerability emerges as he admits his fear of failure and his avoidance of intimacy. He cannot articulate his shame to Sam or Dr. Kovitz, and his definition of a “real man” is tied to employment and provision. His defensiveness reveals a deep-seated crisis of identity, but he remains unwilling to face it.

Nisha

Nisha undergoes a significant shift. From a wealthy, isolated wife, she becomes a hotel cleaner who learns to rely on others. She experiences genuine female solidarity with Jasmine, and her gratitude tempers her pride. Her anger at Carl is palpable, but she also shows strategic restraint—choosing silence as a power move during the meeting. Her transformation is visible when she sees herself in the mirror, “a little like someone she might actually recognize.”

Jasmine

Jasmine emerges as a pragmatic mentor. She advises Nisha to “play the long game,” offers practical help, and even cleans Nisha's rooms to buy her time. Her own dreams of a dressmaking business and her protective love for Grace humanize her, making her a counterpoint to Nisha's former privilege.

Aleks

Aleks provides a philosophical perspective, suggesting Nisha reframe her situation as an opportunity to start again. His kindness—offering his phone, shielding her location, and staying with her during the call—shows a quiet empathy. His scarred hands and his own grueling work schedule hint at a shared understanding of hardship.

Carl

Carl's manipulative nature is fully exposed. He feigns warmth and offers a settlement, but his obsession with the Louboutins reveals his need for control. His demand that Nisha return the shoes—which he claims are legally his—underscores his materialism and his inability to see her as anything but an extension of his possessions.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Masculinity and Shame

Phil's therapy session explores the theme of masculinity. His belief that a “real man” must have a job and provide for his family fuels his shame. His avoidance of intimacy and his inability to talk to Sam reflect a broader crisis of identity, where emotional vulnerability is seen as weakness.

Materialism and Power

The Chloé coat and the Louboutins are potent symbols. The coat represents Nisha's lost identity and wealth, while the shoes become a tool of control for Carl. His insistence on their return—despite their monetary value being trivial to him—demonstrates how possessions are used to assert power and dominance.

Female Solidarity

Nisha's experience at Jasmine's flat introduces her to a world of mutual support. Jasmine's advice to “play the long game” and her practical help—borrowing clothes, doing hair—show how women can lift each other up in crisis. Nisha's laughter with Jasmine, “for the first time in her life, she glimpses the solidarity of women,” marks a turning point.

Survival and Perspective

Aleks's suggestion to reframe her situation as “perfect freedom” is met with skepticism, but it plants a seed. Nisha's struggle to survive—cleaning toilets, borrowing clothes—forces her to reconsider what she values. The motif of the “long game” recurs, suggesting that patience and strategy may be more powerful than immediate revenge.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 17 is pivotal for both protagonists. For Nisha, it marks her first direct confrontation with Carl, revealing his true priorities and setting up the central conflict of the novel: the missing Louboutins become a bargaining chip that could determine her future. The chapter also deepens her relationship with Jasmine and Aleks, showing her integration into a community she once would have dismissed. For Phil, the therapy session exposes the emotional chasm in his marriage and his inability to confront his own shame, setting the stage for potential growth or further decline. The chapter's dual focus on two people struggling with identity and worth—one through wealth, the other through unemployment—highlights the novel's central themes of self-worth and the masks we wear.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Carl fixate on the Louboutins, and what does this reveal about his character?

Carl's fixation on the shoes is not about their monetary value but about control. He claims they are legally his, and he uses them as leverage to punish Nisha for losing something he paid for. This reveals his possessive nature and his inability to see Nisha as an independent person. His demand that she get “nothing without the shoes” shows that his need to dominate outweighs any genuine desire for reconciliation.

2. How does Nisha's perspective on her situation change during this chapter?

Initially, Nisha is consumed by rage and despair. However, through Jasmine's advice and Aleks's philosophical musings, she begins to consider a different approach. She learns to play the long game, using silence as a strategic tool during her meeting with Carl. Her willingness to borrow clothes and accept help marks a shift from entitlement to survival mode, and she starts to see her old life with more critical eyes.

3. What does Phil's therapy session reveal about his marriage and his sense of self?

Phil's session reveals that his marriage is strained by his emotional withdrawal and his fear of failure. He interprets Sam's makeup and distance as signs of her unhappiness, but he cannot communicate his own feelings. His definition of a “real man” as someone with a job and provider role shows that his self-worth is tied to external validation. His avoidance of the therapist's questions about his father suggests unresolved grief that compounds his shame.