Catherine — Chapter 56 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

Catherine arrives at a fertility clinic in London on Day 1,568 of the Plague, immediately struck by the cruel juxtaposition of the waiting room shared with maternity outpatients. She reflects on the irony that before the Plague this was merely ill-judged, but now it feels almost unbearable. She remembers her previous attempts to conceive a second child with her late husband Anthony, including rounds of Clomid and the long waits. She has received a letter offering her a place on a fertility program, subject to a medical assessment, and her imagination has been running wild with hopes of a baby. To ground herself, she thinks about the practical challenges of raising a child alone, and she recalls a documentary about the Dutch Matron system, which groups single mothers into support networks. She wonders if she could arrange something similar with women in her area.

A nurse calls her in for blood tests, an ultrasound, and measurements. She feels like a specimen, praying that no cysts or endometriosis will disqualify her. She then meets Dr. Carlton, who reviews her history: she had a son, Theodore, in 2022, and later tried for another child with unsuccessful Clomid treatment. He notes that an IVF consultation appointment made by her husband in October 2025 was canceled. Catherine is surprised—she never knew Anthony had made that appointment. She remembers his advice about IVF policies: if a woman falls pregnant naturally, even if she miscarries, she is reclassified as fertile and sent to the back of the list. Seizing this opportunity, she falsely claims she fell pregnant and miscarried, feeling as if she is committing a crime. Dr. Carlton accepts her explanation, says her test results look good, and tells her she will likely be accepted pending blood tests, making her eligible for three rounds of IUI. Overwhelmed, she bursts into tears, and he passes her tissues without much reaction.

After the appointment, Catherine walks through Brockwell Park to meet Phoebe, a friend she has not seen in over four years. They embrace, and Catherine is struck by how much she has missed human touch. They talk, and Catherine shares about her fertility clinic visit and her work on an oral history project chronicling the Plague. Phoebe updates her on her husband Rory and daughters Evie and Ida, and mentions that she misses her father. Catherine feels a pang of jealousy—Phoebe has an intact family while Catherine has lost hers. Phoebe invites Catherine to her house to see the girls, and Catherine agrees, though she feels nervous. At the house, Evie and Ida are wary, not remembering her. Catherine tries to connect, but she feels detached, watching the scene from above as if disassociating. When Phoebe invites her to stay for dinner, Catherine declines, saying she needs to head home. She hugs everyone briefly and leaves, feeling that she managed to be kind and brave, but also that her broken heart did not need to see what she has missed out on.

Key Events

• Catherine attends a fertility clinic assessment, sharing a waiting room with maternity patients.

• She undergoes blood tests, an ultrasound, and measurements, feeling dehumanized.

• Dr. Carlton reviews her history: son Theodore in 2022, failed Clomid, and a canceled IVF appointment.

• Catherine falsely claims she fell pregnant and miscarried to avoid being reclassified as fertile.

• Dr. Carlton says she will likely be accepted, pending blood tests, and eligible for three rounds of IUI.

• Catherine cries after the appointment, then meets Phoebe in Brockwell Park for the first time in years.

• They reconcile and catch up; Phoebe mentions her husband Rory and daughters Evie and Ida.

• Catherine visits Phoebe's house, sees the girls, but feels detached and disassociates.

• She declines dinner and leaves, feeling both brave and heartbroken.

Character Development

Catherine's emotional state is central to this chapter. She is a widow and a mother who lost her son, and she is desperate to have another child. Her grief is palpable, but she also shows resilience and hope. Her decision to lie about a miscarriage is a moral compromise, driven by her fear of being denied treatment. This reveals her vulnerability and her willingness to bend the truth when the stakes are high.

Her reunion with Phoebe shows her longing for connection and her difficulty in facing the happiness of others. She is acutely aware of the contrast between Phoebe's intact family and her own broken one. Her disassociation at Phoebe's house is a coping mechanism, allowing her to observe without fully engaging. She ultimately leaves, acknowledging that she managed to be kind and brave, but also that she is still deeply wounded.

Phoebe is portrayed as warm and forgiving, eager to reconnect. She offers Catherine a glimpse of a normal life, but Catherine cannot fully embrace it. The chapter highlights Catherine's internal conflict between wanting to be part of that world and protecting herself from further pain.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• Fertility treatment and medical bureaucracy: The chapter critiques the insensitivity of the medical system, from the shared waiting room to the clinical way Catherine is treated. The bureaucracy of the fertility program—the assessments, the waiting lists, the reclassification rules—drives Catherine to deception.

• Grief and loss: Catherine's grief over Anthony and Theodore permeates everything. Her tears at the clinic and her emotional reaction to Phoebe's perfume show how loss still shapes her.

• Hope and new beginnings: Despite her pain, Catherine allows herself to dream of a baby. The fertility program represents a chance at a new life, even as she acknowledges the practical difficulties.

• Single motherhood and sole responsibility: Catherine contemplates the challenges of raising a child alone, and the Dutch Matron system offers a potential solution, though she is uncertain about it.

• Deception and rewriting personal history: Catherine's lie about the miscarriage is a deliberate act to rewrite her history of infertility, using Anthony's past advice as a