Chapter 35 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways
⚠️ 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
As the second quarter draws to a close, Ji-won finds herself academically reinvigorated. The threat of expulsion has lit a fire under her, and despite ongoing sleep deprivation and nightmares, her grades have improved markedly: an A- in Asian American studies, Bs in history and statistics, and a B- in psychology. She believes that if she can hold it together through finals, she will be removed from academic probation.
Since the chopsticks incident, Geoffrey has been texting Ji-won repeatedly. She mostly ignores him or replies with curt, one-word answers, which seems to offend him. When he tries to sit next to her in class, she finds his presence invasive and irritating. She reflects that his feminist commentary is little more than showboating—an attempt to make himself look better than other men rather than a genuine conviction.
Professor Thompson announces that the final exam will consist of one hundred multiple-choice questions and that she will upload a list of potential topics that night. The class groans in unison. Alexis, seated to Ji-won's right, expresses disbelief at the volume of material, and Ji-won admits she is scared and that she really needs to pass. Alexis reassures her, insisting she won't fail and calling her one of the smartest people she knows. Alexis has already spoken to other classmates and organized a study group for Saturday at six. Ji-won agrees to attend, grateful for the support.
After class, Alexis gives Ji-won her usual quick hug, and her sweet perfume lingers on Ji-won's clothing. Ji-won inhales the scent until she grows dizzy.
That morning, Ji-won missed the bus, so George reluctantly agreed to drive Umma to work so Ji-won could take the car. He complained throughout the arrangement.
Walking through the parking lot in the late afternoon, Ji-won catches whiffs of Alexis's lingering perfume and is lost in thoughts of her. She notices rapid footsteps behind her and stops abruptly; the footsteps stop too. Her heart pounds, and she plunges her hand into her bag, searching for the knife. Her fingers brush against the smooth handle, and she grasps it desperately. She whirls around and demands to know who is following her—but there is nobody there.
She scans the lot, searching for any indication that she is not crazy. A few people mill about in the distance, but no one is near her. Just as she is about to get into her car, she sees a sudden flash of movement and whips around in time to see someone scurry away. She sprints over but arrives too late, standing in front of a bush, trembling. She tells herself she is imagining things again.
Key Events
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Ji-won's second quarter ends with improved grades, putting her within reach of leaving academic probation
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Geoffrey continues texting her; she responds with curt replies and finds his attempts to sit near her in class irritating
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She dismisses his feminist commentary as performative
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Professor Thompson announces a one-hundred-question multiple-choice final
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Alexis reassures Ji-won and organizes a study group for Saturday at six
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Ji-won takes the car because she missed the bus; George reluctantly drives Umma to work
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In the parking lot, Ji-won hears footsteps behind her, grabs her knife, and whirls around to find no one
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She spots movement, chases it to a bush, but the person is gone
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She tells herself she is imagining things
Character Development
Ji-won: This chapter shows Ji-won in a period of relative academic stability, but her internal state remains fragile. Her improved grades suggest she can focus when motivated, yet the threat of expulsion keeps her anxious. Her interactions with Geoffrey reveal a sharper, more dismissive edge—she now sees through his performative feminism and finds him abrasive and pushy. Her attachment to Alexis deepens: she inhales Alexis's lingering perfume until dizzy, suggesting an intense emotional investment that borders on obsession. The parking lot scene reveals her escalating paranoia; she carries a knife and is prepared to use it, but she also doubts her own perceptions, telling herself she is imagining things.
Geoffrey: Though he appears only through texts and brief classroom presence, his persistence is notable. He continues to reach out after the chopsticks incident, seemingly unable to read Ji-won's disinterest. His attempts to sit beside her and his offended reactions to her curt replies paint him as pushy and lacking self-awareness.
Alexis: She continues to be a stabilizing presence for Ji-won, offering reassurance and organizing a study group. Her confidence in Ji-won contrasts sharply with Ji-won's own fear of failure, and her physical affection—the quick hug, the lingering perfume—has become a touchstone for Ji-won.
George: His reluctance to help Ji-won, complaining about driving Umma to work, reinforces the strained family dynamics and Ji-won's isolation within her own household.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Academic probation and fear of failure: Ji-won's grades are the tangible stakes of the novel's tension. The threat of expulsion has motivated her, but her fear remains palpable—she tells Alexis she is scared and that she needs to pass. The final exam looms as a narrative deadline.
Stalking and paranoia: The parking lot scene is the chapter's central set piece. Footsteps that stop when she stops, a flash of movement, a chase to a bush—these elements suggest either a real stalker or Ji-won's deteriorating grip on reality. The ambiguity is deliberate; Ji-won herself cannot tell whether she is being followed or imagining things.
The knife as protection: Ji-won's instinct to reach for the knife in her bag shows how her vigilance has become reflexive. The knife is both a practical tool and a symbol of her readiness to defend herself—or to harm someone.
Lingering scent: Alexis's perfume lingering on Ji-won's clothing is a recurring motif. It connects Ji-won to Alexis even after they part, and her dizziness from inhaling it suggests an almost obsessive attachment.
Performative feminism: Ji-won's assessment of Geoffrey's feminist quips as showboating critiques a kind of male allyship that is more about self-presentation than genuine conviction.
Study group solidarity: Alexis's organization of a study group offers a counterpoint to Ji-won's isolation—a communal response to academic pressure that contrasts with the solitary vigilance of the parking lot scene.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 35 escalates the novel's central tension on multiple fronts. Academically, Ji-won is within reach of escaping probation, raising the stakes for the final exam. Socially, her relationship with Alexis deepens while her irritation with Geoffrey sharpens. But the chapter's most significant development is the parking lot scene, which intensifies the stalking subplot. The ambiguity—real threat or paranoid delusion—mirrors Ji-won's own uncertainty about her perceptions. Her reflexive reach for the knife shows how far she has come from the person she was at the novel's start, and her self-doubt suggests she may not trust her own mind. This chapter sets up the final exam as a narrative deadline while leaving the question of who—if anyone—is following her unresolved.
Study Questions
1. How does Ji-won's academic improvement interact with her psychological state in this chapter?
Ji-won's grades have improved—an A- in Asian American studies, Bs in history and statistics, and a B- in psychology—and she believes strong finals will remove her from academic probation. Yet her internal state remains fragile: she mentions lack of sleep and nightmares, and the parking lot scene reveals her paranoia. The chapter suggests that academic success and psychological stability are not aligned for her; she can perform well in class while doubting her own perceptions.
2. What does the parking lot scene reveal about Ji-won's relationship with the knife and her sense of reality?
Ji-won's instinct to reach for the knife when she hears footsteps shows that carrying it has become reflexive—a form of self-protection she no longer has to think about. But the scene's ambiguity is crucial: she whirls around to find nobody, then chases a flash of movement to a bush and finds nothing. Her final thought—that she is imagining things again—suggests she cannot distinguish between real threats and her own fears, which raises questions about whether the stalker is real or a product of her mind.
3. How does Ji-won's perception of Geoffrey change in this chapter, and what does it reveal about her?
Ji-won now sees Geoffrey as abrasive, pushy, and irritating, and she dismisses his feminist commentary as performative showboating. This is a significant shift from earlier in the novel, when she may have been more receptive to his attention. Her ability to see through his self-presentation suggests growing discernment, but it also reflects her broader distrust of men and her increasing isolation. Her curt replies and annoyance at his presence show that she has closed herself off to him entirely.