Chapter Twenty-Four: Intervention and Resolve
⚠️ 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
A week after his back surgery, Burgess remains in a dark hospital room, refusing painkillers, television, and communication. He wallows in guilt over driving Tallulah away and wishes to die. His teammates Sig and Wells stage an intervention, bringing along the rookies Mailer and Corrigan. Sig calls Chloe on speakerphone, revealing that Tallulah has been going on adventures alone—kayaking on the Charles River and booking a hot air balloon ride—and that a professor gave her his number. Chloe also mentions that Tallulah has a plus-one to Wells and Josephine’s Costa Rica wedding. Burgess’s jealousy and desperation boil over. Lissa then enters and confesses she feels responsible for Tallulah leaving, admitting she didn’t mean the horrible things she said. She also shares she was chosen to play Juliet in English class. Moved by his daughter’s guilt and the possibility of losing Tallulah forever, Burgess agrees to transfer to a rehab facility on the condition that Wells revokes the plus-ones for Tallulah and Chloe. He declares he will work to get better and then go to Costa Rica to win Tallulah back.
Key Events
- Burgess refuses to leave bed, declines painkillers, and wishes to die.
- Sig and Wells arrive for an “intervention” with rookies Mailer and Corrigan in tow.
- Sig calls Chloe on speaker; she reports Tallulah’s recent activities and that a professor gave her his number.
- Chloe reveals Tallulah has a plus-one to the Costa Rica wedding.
- Burgess erupts in jealousy and insists the plus-one be revoked.
- Lissa enters and confesses her guilt over driving Tallulah away.
- Lissa tells Burgess she was cast as Juliet in English class.
- Burgess negotiates: he will go to rehab if Wells cancels the plus-ones.
- Burgess resolves to get healthy and travel to Costa Rica to reclaim Tallulah.
Character Development
Burgess begins the chapter in complete despair, believing he has lost both hockey and Tallulah. His self-pity is so intense that he rejects all help and wishes for death. The intervention forces him to confront his actions and the impact on Lissa. Hearing that Tallulah might move on with a professor triggers jealousy and a newfound determination. By the end, he shifts from passivity to active commitment: rehab first, then winning her back.
Lissa shows vulnerability and growth. She admits her role in the breakup, revealing that she didn’t mean the cruel things she said. Her confession humanises her and deepens her bond with Burgess. Her pride in being cast as Juliet—an achievement she credits to Tallulah—adds emotional weight to her desire to make amends.
Sig and Wells act as catalysts. Sig’s bluntness (“you’re acting like a piece of fossilized shit”) and Wells’s willingness to share his own past mistake (firing Josephine) create a peer-pressure dynamic that Burgess cannot ignore. Their “layered” intervention—including rookies and Lissa—demonstrates the power of community in breaking through denial.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Self-pity vs. action: Burgess’s refusal to leave bed symbolises his emotional paralysis. The chapter contrasts this with the active steps of his friends and daughter.
- Father-daughter bond: Lissa’s guilt and her achievement (playing Juliet) remind Burgess of his responsibilities beyond hockey. Her presence motivates him more than any teammate’s argument.
- Intervention as a catalyst: The staged confrontation forces Burgess to externalise his guilt and jealousy, turning his despair into a concrete goal: getting Tallulah back.
- Jealousy as motivator: The news of the professor and the plus-one ignite a possessive urgency that pushes Burgess out of his stupor.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter Twenty-Four functions as a turning point in Burgess’s character arc. After a week of giving up, he finally agrees to pursue recovery—not for hockey, but for Tallulah and Lissa. The intervention reinforces the importance of the support system he built earlier in the novel (especially through Tallulah’s influence). The chapter sets up the climactic journey to Costa Rica, positioning the wedding as the stage for Burgess’s redemption. It also deepens Lissa’s role, making her an active participant in healing the family rift.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Burgess initially refuse to leave the hospital or start rehabilitation? Burgess believes he has lost everything that matters—hockey and Tallulah. He blames himself for driving her away and feels that even if he heals, he will never get her back. His despair makes him indifferent to recovery; he wishes to die rather than face a world where Tallulah is hurt and absent.
2. How does the revelation about Tallulah’s possible new relationship affect Burgess’s decision? Hearing that Tallulah has received a professor’s phone number and has a plus-one to the wedding ignites intense jealousy. This jealousy provides a concrete, emotional reason to leave the hospital. It transforms his abstract grief into a focused goal: he cannot let her move on without a fight. This reaction, while possessive, ultimately props him out of passivity.
3. What role does Lissa play in the intervention’s success? Lissa’s confession of guilt and her news about being cast as Juliet shift Burgess’s focus from his own misery to his daughter’s needs. He realises his inaction hurts Lissa too. Her vulnerability and pride in an achievement inspired by Tallulah remind him that he has a family worth fighting for. Lissa becomes the emotional anchor that tips him toward agreeing to rehab.