Chapter 37: Coda — Final Chapter 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

The final chapter opens on a hot August afternoon with Beatrice standing on a paddleboard, gliding across the glassy blue-green waters of Cape Cod Bay. As she moves across the water, she reflects on the summer's many changes and the lingering uncertainties in her family.

Beatrice's father has ceded his father's house to her and her mother for the summer and beyond. Her mother has told her they will stay through the school year, and Beatrice will attend the public high school in Orleans—at least for the next year. Her father now visits every other weekend, renting a cottage in North Truro rather than staying with them. He brings gifts for her mother—flowers, chocolates, sea salts, spices—and, notably, leaves his laptop behind, giving Beatrice his full attention. They've gone on long bike rides together and spent entire afternoons on the beach.

When Beatrice asks her father directly whether he and her mother are getting divorced, he answers honestly: it's not what he wants, but the decision isn't his to make. When she asks her mother the same question, her mother deflects, saying she has to get to work.

Her mother now has a job cooking at The Abbey, the restaurant Diana owns. Diana has become a regular presence at their house, teaching Beatrice to turn an old book into a birdhouse and learning from Beatrice in return—Beatrice shows her how to preserve insects in resin. Beatrice has also met Diana's husband, who turns out to be the caretaker for the house, and he's been teaching her to surf cast.

Despite all the good things, Beatrice notes the tension: her father's unhappy looks in her mother's direction, and the way her mother's shoulders stiffen whenever her father touches her or says her name. The summer would have been perfect, she reflects, minus the uncertainty.

While paddling, Beatrice is approached by a young man on his own paddleboard. They float side by side, facing the beach where a volleyball game is in progress. He asks if she's on vacation. She tells him she actually lives there now. When he expresses approval, she repeats the words—lucky me—with a thoughtful, even sad expression. She explains that they used to come only for the summers, but this year they're becoming washashores, the local term for newcomers to the Cape.

The guy wonders if it gets lonely in the winter. Beatrice shrugs, saying she doesn't mind being by herself, and that they have plenty of company: her uncle Danny and his husband visited for a few weeks, and her mother's best friend lives nearby with two nieces about Beatrice's age who come up on weekends. She tells him about The Abbey, where her mother cooks and she bus tables on weekends, and recommends the crabmeat-stuffed cod as the best thing her mother makes.

He invites her to come to the beach and hang out. Beatrice thinks it over, balanced on her board, swaying with the waves. She declines for now, saying she's just getting started, and paddles away toward the sun.

Key Events

Beatrice's father cedes the family house to her and her mother for the summer and beyond
The plan to stay year-round is confirmed: Beatrice will attend public high school in Orleans
Her father's weekend visits shift to a rented cottage in North Truro, with gifts and undivided attention for Beatrice
Beatrice asks both parents about divorce; her father gives an honest but unresolved answer, her mother deflects
Her mother begins cooking at Diana's restaurant, The Abbey
Diana becomes a fixture at the house, sharing crafts with Beatrice
Diana's husband teaches Beatrice to surf cast
Beatrice meets a young man on the water and tells him she now lives on the Cape year-round
She declines his invitation to hang out, choosing instead to keep paddling

Character Development

Beatrice has undergone the most visible transformation. At the start of the story she was a summer visitor; now she identifies as a year-round resident, a washashore. She has built a community—Diana's nieces, her uncle Danny and his husband, the people at The Abbey—and she works there on weekends. She's comfortable being alone, and she's learned to accept uncertainty without letting it consume her. Her decision to decline the guy's invitation, saying she's just getting started, signals a new self-possession. She's no longer waiting for things to happen to her; she's actively choosing her own pace.

Beatrice's mother has gained independence through her job at The Abbey. Cooking gives her purpose and a life outside the marriage. But she remains guarded about the future of her relationship, deflecting Beatrice's question rather than offering reassurance.

Beatrice's father is making visible efforts to repair things—gifts, visits, quality time with Beatrice—but he's also honest about his limitations. His admission that the decision isn't his to make shows a new humility and acceptance of his own role in the marriage's difficulties.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Uncertainty and acceptance. The chapter is built around things that are unresolved: the parents' marriage, the family's future, what comes next. Beatrice doesn't have answers, but she's learned to live with the questions. Her father's honest answer and her mother's deflection both leave the door open, and Beatrice seems okay with that.

Identity shift and belonging. The term washashore is central. Beatrice is claiming a new identity—not a tourist, not a summer person, but someone who belongs to the Cape year-round. Her list of connections (family, friends, work) shows she's building a life there.

Letting go of resistance. When a motorboat passes and rocks her board, Beatrice lets her body sway with the motion instead of resisting. It's a small moment that mirrors her larger approach to change: she's learning to move with uncertainty rather than fight it.

Hope and new beginnings. The chapter ends with Beatrice paddling out toward the fullness of the sun. The image is unambiguously hopeful—she's moving forward, into light, on her own terms.

The coda as musical form. The chapter title signals a concluding passage in a musical piece—a way of bringing the story to a close while acknowledging that the melody continues.

Why This Chapter Matters

As the coda to That Summer, this chapter resolves the summer's arc while leaving the future deliberately open. It shows Beatrice's growth from a girl caught in her parents' difficulties to a young woman who has built her own community and identity. The parents' marriage remains unresolved—the father wants it, the mother is uncertain—but Beatrice is no longer defined by that uncertainty. She has work, friends, a place to belong, and a growing sense of self. The chapter's final image, of Beatrice paddling toward the sun, offers hope without promising a neat ending. It's a fitting close to a story about learning to live with what you can't control.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does the term washashore signify for Beatrice's identity, and how does her embrace of it show growth?

The term washashore refers to someone who moves to Cape Cod from elsewhere—a newcomer, not a native. For Beatrice, claiming the label is significant because it marks a shift from being a summer visitor to being a year-round resident. She's choosing to belong, even knowing she'll always be an outsider in some ways. Her embrace of the term shows she's no longer clinging to the old identity of a girl who just visits for the summer; she's building a life and accepting the complications that come with it.

2. How does the paddleboard scene function as a metaphor for Beatrice's emotional state?

The paddleboard requires balance and adaptability. When a motorboat passes and rocks the water, Beatrice lets her body sway with the motion instead of resisting—a direct metaphor for how she's learned to handle the uncertainty in her family. She's no longer fighting the waves; she's moving with them. Her decision to decline the guy's invitation and keep paddling reinforces this: she's in control of her own direction, comfortable being alone, and not rushing toward the next thing.

3. Why does Beatrice decline the guy's invitation with maybe later, and what does this reveal about her?

Beatrice's maybe later is a choice, not a rejection. She's not desperate for connection or approval; she's content in her own company and confident in the community she's built. The phrase also suggests openness—she's not closing the door, just choosing her own timing. This reveals a girl who has grown into self-possession, someone who can be friendly and warm without losing her own sense of direction.