Chapter 16 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.
Summary
Andrew arrives an hour late to a faculty party at a professor's grand home, wearing a button-up and feeling out of place. He pours himself a bourbon and wanders through the gathering, eventually finding Riley and Luca seated in a den. West joins them, and a tense exchange erupts between Riley and West over research—Riley's thesis proposal was revised, not rejected, while West defends his stalled dissertation. Andrew, feeling like an outsider, texts Sam, who invites him over.
Dr. Troth pulls Andrew aside into a private study. She hands him Eddie's ring, explaining she found it after a dinner party at her home. She reveals she knew Eddie's parents and proposes that Andrew continue Eddie's research with her assistance. She also references a past search for Andrew and Eddie, unsettling him deeply. Andrew leaves abruptly, drives to Sam's house, and they take a drive in Sam's car into the hills, drinking and talking. Andrew asks Sam to call him by his first name. They stop in a quiet holler, finish the beer, and Sam asks if Andrew is ready to head home.
Key Events
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Andrew arrives late to the faculty party and socializes with Riley, Luca, and West.
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Tension flares between Riley and West over academic matters, with Luca trying to mediate.
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Andrew texts Sam, who invites him over.
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Dr. Troth gives Andrew Eddie's ring and reveals her connection to Eddie's family.
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Troth proposes Andrew continue Eddie's research with her help.
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Troth references the childhood search for Andrew and Eddie, unsettling Andrew.
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Andrew leaves the party abruptly and drives to Sam's house.
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Sam and Andrew take a drive in Sam's car into the hills, drinking and talking.
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Andrew asks Sam to call him by his first name.
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They stop in a holler, finish the beer, and Sam asks if Andrew is ready to go home.
Character Development
Andrew's discomfort with the academic world is palpable throughout the chapter. He feels like an outsider at the faculty party, noting the