Chapter 38 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 chapter opens with the narrator's reflection on the worst part of figure skating competition: not the pressure, but the waiting. At the 2006 U.S. National Championships in St. Louis, she and Garrett have two full days off after their first day of competition before the ice dance final. While other skaters attend events, sightsee at the Gateway Arch or the Anheuser-Busch stables, or gather at the headquarters hotel bar, the narrator stays at the Chase Park Plaza, a luxury hotel a few miles from the venue. She doesn't leave her room except for scheduled practices.

Her routine is disciplined: stretching to keep her muscles limber, ordering balanced room service meals, and above all, visualizing. She lies on the king-sized bed and runs a mental movie over and over — not just the details of the free dance, but everything that will come after victory: the podium, the Olympic team announcement, the flight to Italy, the opening ceremony in Torino, and gold medals around her neck.

By the time she arrives at the Savvis Center, her fantasies feel so real they might as well have already happened. In the dressing room, the other skaters steer clear of her, as if she has a force field around her. Nothing can rattle her — not even Heath and Bella, who are still in warm-up clothes getting a pep talk from Sheila. The narrator doesn't need a pep talk. She believes her and Garrett's technical base value is higher than Heath and Bella's, and if they perform perfectly, they will win.

The final group consists of the top five couples: Gaskell and Kovalenko, Hayworth and Dean, Fischer and Chan, Garrett and the narrator, and Heath and Bella. Heath and Bella skate in the coveted final spot, but the narrator sees this as an advantage for herself — all eyes will be on them when they realize they've lost.

The group warm-up begins, and the narrator takes off so fast that Garrett has to scramble to catch up. He asks if she's okay, noting she seems distracted. She dismisses this — she's never been more focused. She reflects that distraction was what she felt before, when Heath's machinations still got to her, but she's finished with that. She's wanted the Olympics since before she knew Heath existed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a swirl of emerald silk — Bella and Heath skating past, close enough for Bella's skirt to brush her leg. Garrett pulls her clear of their path, and her temper flares. She thinks they should be the ones getting out of her way.

With two minutes left in the warm-up, they run through their midline step sequence and move to the twizzles. The narrator cues up her mental movie again, fast-forwarding through it: a flawless free dance, a fourth consecutive U.S. title with Heath and Bella an inconsequential blur on the silver step, the Olympic team announcement, the flight to Italy, the opening ceremony, and gold medals — the first Americans to win Olympic ice dance medals since Lin and Lockwood in 1988.

As she enters the final turn of the twizzle sequence, she's smiling. She's so close. Soon it will all be hers: the gold, the fame, the security — everything she's longed for since she was four years old. She reaches for Garrett. He reaches back. Behind him, a flash of green and black. And then blinding white, rushing toward her.

Key Events

The two-day wait before the ice dance final at the 2006 U.S. Nationals
The narrator's isolation at the Chase Park Plaza and her visualization routine
Arrival at the Savvis Center with a sense of invincibility
Sheila giving a pep talk to Heath and Bella while the narrator declines one
The final group warm-up, with the narrator skating aggressively fast
Garrett noticing her distraction and pulling her clear of Heath and Bella's path
The collision at the end of the twizzle sequence, signaled by green and black and then blinding white

Character Development

The narrator is at her most single-minded in this chapter. Her isolation, her refusal of a pep talk, and her dismissal of Garrett's concern all reinforce her obsessive focus on winning. She frames her ambition as lifelong — she's wanted the Olympics since before she knew Heath — and her visualization practice has blurred the line between fantasy and reality. Her belief that she's untouchable is precisely what makes the collision so devastating.

Garrett emerges as the more grounded of the pair. He notices her distraction, asks if she's okay, and physically pulls her out of Heath and Bella's path. His protectiveness contrasts with the narrator's dismissiveness.

Heath and Bella are presented almost as forces of nature — a swirl of emerald silk that brushes past, a flash of green and black. They're rivals, but also a looming threat.

Sheila appears only briefly, giving a pep talk to Heath and Bella, which underscores the narrator's separation from her former coach's orbit.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Visualization as mental rehearsal: The narrator's visualization is so vivid that her fantasies feel like memories. This is both a strength — it prepares her mentally — and a vulnerability, because it disconnects her from the physical present.

Isolation and single-minded focus: The narrator's choice to stay alone at the Chase Park Plaza, avoiding the social whirl, shows her total commitment to winning. But it also leaves her without support or perspective.

Competitive rivalry: The near-miss with Heath and Bella during the warm-up is a physical manifestation of their rivalry. The emerald silk brushing her leg is an intrusion into her space.

The collision: The chapter ends with the collision — a flash of green and black (Heath and Bella's colors) followed by blinding white. This is the moment where fantasy meets physical reality, and it's a direct consequence of the narrator's refusal to be present in the moment.

Obsession with fame and glory: The narrator's visualization includes not just the win but the fame and security that come with it. Her ambition is about more than skating — it's about what the gold represents.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point. The collision at the end of the warm-up is a major plot event that will shape everything that follows. But the chapter also matters for what it reveals about the narrator's psychology: her total commitment to her vision, her dismissal of anyone who questions her, and her belief that she's invincible. The contrast between her elaborate fantasy and the sudden, violent interruption of reality is the chapter's central dramatic irony. She's so focused on the future that she's not present in the moment — and that's exactly what leads to the collision.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the narrator's visualization practice both help and harm her in this chapter?

Her visualization helps her feel prepared and confident — she arrives at the Savvis Center believing her victory is already assured. But it also disconnects her from the present moment. She's so absorbed in her mental movie that she's not fully aware of her surroundings, which is precisely when the collision happens. Her fantasy has become more real to her than the actual rink.

2. What does the narrator's isolation reveal about her character and priorities?

Her isolation at the Chase Park Plaza shows her total commitment to winning — she avoids all distractions, including socializing and sightseeing. But it also reveals a certain arrogance: she believes she doesn't need anyone, not even a pep talk from Sheila. This self-sufficiency is a strength, but it also leaves her without a support system when things go wrong.

3. How does the chapter set up the collision, and what might the blinding white represent?

The chapter builds tension through the narrator's escalating confidence and her dismissal of warning signs — Garrett's concern, the near-miss with Heath and Bella. The blinding white rushing toward her is likely the ice itself or a collision with another skater, but it also represents the shattering of her fantasy. The green and black flash (Heath and Bella's colors) suggests the collision is connected to her rivals.