That Summer: Questions and Answers

1. Why does Diana create the fake identity of Diana Starling to approach Daisy?

Diana invents the persona of a business consultant to gain access to Daisy, the wife of her rapist, Hal Shoemaker. She wants to see Hal and make him acknowledge her, but she also becomes genuinely fond of Daisy and Beatrice, complicating her plan. The deception allows her to observe the family up close while testing whether revenge or connection will win.

Evidence: In Chapter 31, Diana decides to target Daisy after Brad's death and the #MeToo reckoning, creating a fake email, website, and Facebook page. She travels to Philadelphia and meets Daisy as Diana Starling, even renting a Rittenhouse Square apartment to maintain the illusion. The plan works, but Diana's growing empathy for Daisy and Beatrice (Chapter 22) makes her mission morally messy. This tension drives the novel's central conflict between justice and compassion. See Diana Scalzi Carmody and the moral complexity of revenge.

2. How does the misdirected email serve as the catalyst for the entire plot?

The email mix-up—where Daisy receives messages meant for a different Diana—brings the two women together. Daisy, lonely and seeking connection, responds, and the correspondence leads to a meeting in New York. This accidental encounter sets off a chain of events that forces Daisy to confront her husband's past and Diana to face her attacker.

Evidence: In Chapter 1, Daisy discovers she's been getting emails for another Diana and begins corresponding. She meets Diana Starling in Chapter 4, and their friendship grows through cooking lessons and walks. The deception is revealed in Chapter 28 when Daisy learns Diana's true identity. The email is the accidental spark that ignites a reckoning, showing how small errors can unravel carefully constructed lives.

3. What is the significance of the yellow bikini in the prologue?

The yellow bikini, a gift from Diana's sisters, symbolizes her youthful innocence and the beginning of her sexual awakening. It also marks her as an outsider—a scholarship girl from South Boston among wealthy Cape Cod families. The bikini becomes a visual reminder of her vulnerability and the objectification she will later endure.

Evidence: In the Prologue, fifteen-year-old Diana receives the bikini before heading to Truro. She wears it to the beach, where she meets Poe, who later assaults her. The bikini is never mentioned again, but its association with that summer's trauma lingers. It represents the loss of innocence and the way girls are often reduced to their bodies.

4. How does Beatrice's act of spray-painting “RAPIST” on a classmate's door set up the novel's themes?

Beatrice's vigilante act introduces the novel's central questions about accountability, institutional failure, and the limits of protest. It gets her expelled from Emlen, but it also establishes her as a character who refuses to stay silent. Her action foreshadows Diana's later quest for justice and contrasts with the adult world's tendency to dismiss sexual misconduct.

Evidence: In Chapter 1, Beatrice defends her actions, saying her roommate followed procedures, implying the school ignored a real assault. The dean expels her anyway, showing how institutions protect reputations over victims. Beatrice's story parallels Diana's—both are young women who face a system that doesn't believe them. Her arc continues through the novel as she navigates new schools and relationships. See Beatrice Shoemaker.

5. Why does Daisy stay with Hal for so long despite his controlling behavior?

Daisy stays because Hal represents stability and escape from her grief-stricken family. She married him at twenty, after her father's death, and he provided financial security and a way out of her mother's depression. Over time, his control becomes normalized—he dismisses her work, calls her “little bird,” and expects her to manage everything. She lacks the confidence to leave until Diana's revelation forces her to see the truth.

Evidence: In Chapter 4, Daisy describes meeting Hal as an escape from living with her depressed mother. She drops out of college and becomes a wife and mother, giving up her dreams. In Chapter 24, she reads A Doll's House and identifies with Nora, realizing her marriage mirrors that oppression. Her eventual decision to leave (Chapter 34) is a long-overdue awakening.

6. What role does the Cape Cod cottage play in Diana's healing?

The cottage, lent by Dr. Levy, becomes Diana's sanctuary—a place where she can rebuild her life away from the trauma of that summer. It offers solitude, routine, and a connection to nature that helps her recover. Over time, she transforms it into a home, and eventually she and Michael buy it, making it a permanent symbol of her reclaimed agency.

Evidence: In Chapter 6, Diana accepts Dr. Levy's offer to use the cottage after years of depression. She arrives in Chapter 7 and sleeps through the night for the first time. She adopts a dog, finds work at the Abbey, and slowly builds a community. The cottage's improvements—Michael's repairs, the garden, the loft—mirror her own healing. See healing from sexual trauma.

7. How does Michael Carmody's patience and kindness contrast with Hal's entitlement?

Michael respects Diana's boundaries, waits for her to initiate intimacy, and never pressures her. He demonstrates that a man can be caring without expecting anything in return. This contrasts sharply with Hal, who took what he wanted without consent and later dismisses his wife's needs. Michael's behavior models a healthy masculinity that the novel implicitly endorses.

Evidence: In Chapter 9, Michael accepts Diana's refusals and leaves her alone, saying he can take no for an answer. He courts her slowly over months, only holding hands and kissing until she's ready (Chapter 17). When she discloses her assault, he comforts her and tells her it wasn't her fault (Chapter 16). Hal, by contrast, rapes Diana and later calls her “little bird” to belittle Daisy.

8. What does the “little bird” nickname reveal about Hal's view of Daisy?

The nickname infantilizes Daisy, reducing her to a small, helpless creature. It reflects Hal's need to control and diminish her, treating her as a pet rather than a partner. Daisy's recognition of this—after Beatrice points out its source in A Doll's House—becomes a turning point in her awakening.

Evidence: In Chapter 24, Hal calls Daisy “little bird” and kisses her, but she feels belittled. Beatrice tells her the phrase comes from Ibsen's play, where Nora is similarly patronized. Daisy reads the play and sees her own marriage mirrored. The nickname is a subtle but powerful symbol of the power imbalance that defines their relationship.

9. How does the novel use Brad Burlingham to explore complicity and guilt?

Brad, who held Diana down during the assault, represents the bystander who actively participates. His later life is marked by alcoholism and self-destruction, suggesting guilt that he can't escape. When Diana confronts him, he admits his role and says he wanted the other boys to like him. His subsequent suicide complicates the question of justice—does his death count as accountability or as collateral damage?

Evidence: In Chapter 23, Diana tracks down Brad and confronts him. He confesses and describes his struggles. Six days later, she learns he died by suicide. Diana feels guilt, wondering if her confrontation pushed him over the edge. This subplot forces readers to consider the ripple effects of seeking justice and whether punishment can ever be clean. See bystander complicity.

10. What is the significance of the name “Diana” being shared by both women?

The shared name creates a symbolic link between the two women—both are named Diana, and both are affected by Hal's actions. It also highlights the idea of identity and how names can be shields or burdens. Diana Scalzi uses a fake name to infiltrate Daisy's life, while Daisy's real name is Diana Rosen, but she goes by her grandmother's nickname. The name mix-up that starts the plot is thus thematically resonant.

Evidence: In Chapter 1, Daisy receives emails meant for another Diana. In Chapter 20, Diana learns that Hal's wife's real name is Diana, which unsettles her—she feels like the “rough-draft” version. In Chapter 29, we learn Daisy's birth name is Diana Rosen. The name connects them across class and circumstance, suggesting that women's experiences are often shared.

11. How does Beatrice's relationship with Cade Langley reflect the novel's commentary on consent and social pressure?

Cade initially approaches Beatrice as part of a dare, and later kisses her without clear consent, mirroring the novel's larger concerns about male entitlement. Beatrice's firm correction of his assumptions about consent (in Chapter 20) shows her moral clarity, but her willingness to accept his kiss despite the betrayal suggests the complexity of teenage social dynamics.

Evidence: In Chapter 13, Cade invites Beatrice to sit with his group, and she later learns it was a dare (Chapter 27). He kisses her after confessing, and she responds despite her anger. In Chapter 20, she corrects his view that a boy might be “confused” about consent. This subplot illustrates how even well-meaning boys can perpetuate harmful patterns, and how girls often navigate mixed signals.

12. Why does Diana decide to confront Hal at the dinner party rather than expose him publicly?

Diana wants Hal to see her and acknowledge what he did, but she also wants to protect Daisy and Beatrice from public scandal. Confronting him privately—or semi-privately—allows her to reclaim power without destroying the family she has come to care about. She also wants Danny to witness the moment, forcing him to confront his own complicity.

Evidence: In Chapter 26, Diana attends the Shoemaker dinner and asks to speak with Hal and Danny about Emlen. She says they were “getting reacquainted” and kisses Hal's cheek, leaving them unsettled. Her approach is psychological rather than legal, aiming for acknowledgment rather than punishment. This aligns with her earlier statement to Brad that she wanted him to live with what he'd done.

13. How does the Abbey restaurant symbolize sanctuary and community for Diana?

The Abbey, a former church turned restaurant, becomes Diana's workplace and later her own business. It represents a sacred space repurposed for healing and connection. There, she finds a found family—Reese, Ryan, Carly, and others—who accept her without judgment. The restaurant's history as a church underscores the idea of redemption and second chances.

Evidence: In Chapter 7, Diana gets a job at the Abbey, where manager Reese shares a meal with her and tells her about the building's history. She learns the rhythms of the restaurant and builds relationships. In Chapter 18, she eventually owns the Abbey after Reese and Jonathan retire. The restaurant becomes a symbol of her reclaimed life and her ability to create community.

14. What does Daisy's decision to leave Hal and take Beatrice to the Cape signify?

Daisy's flight to the Cape represents her rejection of a marriage built on lies and control. By taking Beatrice and going to Diana's cottage, she aligns herself with truth and solidarity with another woman. The Cape, once a place of family vacations, becomes a site of liberation and new beginnings.

Evidence: In Chapter 30, Daisy learns the truth about Hal and Danny, then packs for herself and Beatrice, withdrawing Beatrice from school. She drives to Diana's cottage in Chapter 34, where she confronts Hal and demands a divorce. The Coda shows Daisy cooking at the Abbey and living year-round on the Cape, suggesting she has found a new identity.

15. How does the epigraph from Mary Oliver's “Wild Geese” relate to Diana's journey?

The poem's message—that you don't have to be good or repent, and that the world offers itself to your imagination—mirrors Diana's path toward self-acceptance. She spends years feeling shame and guilt, but eventually learns to let her body love what it loves, to find belonging in the natural world, and to announce her place in the family of things.

Evidence: The epigraph appears in Chapter 1, setting the tone for the novel. Diana's healing involves reconnecting with nature—swimming, walking on the beach, and eventually painting. The poem's call to “let the soft animal of your body love what it loves” resonates with Diana's eventual intimacy with Michael and her decision to live fully. The wild geese heading home echo her own return to the Cape as a place of homecoming.