Chapter 33 Summary: The Shot – Hollis and Dru-Ann’s College Bond

⚠️ 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

Caroline convinces Dru-Ann to sit for an interview in the home theater, assuring her the footage is only for Hollis’s website—though Caroline hints it might become something more, perhaps linked to her internship with filmmaker Isaac Opoku. Dru-Ann initially resists after the Gypsy video debacle but agrees when the focus shifts to her friendship with Hollis.

Dru-Ann begins at the beginning: move-in day at UNC Chapel Hill. Her freshman roommate is Hollis Shaw from Nantucket. Dru-Ann is immediately impressed by Hollis’s easy chemistry and is surprised when Hollis’s father, Tom Shaw, arrives in jeans and a T-shirt, looking more like a maintenance worker than a parent. After he leaves, Hollis becomes weepy; Dru-Ann asks about her mother, and Hollis claims she is at a hotel but didn’t want to come.

The pair bond over sorority rush. They attend events together and are both drawn to Beta Beta Beta. Dru-Ann is heavily courted, while Hollis’s lack of polish raises doubts among the sisters. At the final bid party, sorority president Stacia Starmack pulls Dru-Ann aside, telling her they will offer a bid because of Dru-Ann’s race and implying Hollis isn’t “polished enough” (meaning not wealthy enough). Dru-Ann grabs Hollis and leaves without saying goodbye. That night, Hollis tells Dru-Ann her mother always said a child needs only one good friend—so they decide to become a “sorority of two.”

The story jumps to sophomore year. Hollis spends Christmas with Dru-Ann’s family in Chicago. On Christmas morning, Dru-Ann overhears Hollis on the phone telling her father she’s sorry he has to spend Christmas alone; Tom mentions putting a wreath on “your mother’s grave.” Dru-Ann is shocked—she had believed Charlotte Shaw was alive. She says nothing for days.

On New Year’s Eve, after the Joneses leave for a party, Dru-Ann and Hollis stay home. Dru-Ann introduces Hollis to Jeppson’s Malört Liqueur, a notoriously foul Chicago drink. After two shots, Dru-Ann confronts Hollis: “Your mother is dead.” Hollis runs to the bathroom, and Dru-Ann follows, holding her hair back. In the final hour of 1988, Hollis confesses: her mother died when she was a baby; she lied from the first day because she was already emotional about leaving home and didn’t know how to tell the truth. She wanted to start fresh in college and change the parts of herself she didn’t like. Dru-Ann, instead of being furious, offers forgiveness and empathy. She tells Hollis that with her mother’s “one good friend” motto, they will be okay.

Back in the present, Caroline is moved to tears. She realizes for the first time that Hollis never had a “Hollis of her own”—she borrowed Tatum’s mother and then had to figure out motherhood alone. Caroline reflects on how Hollis was always there for her, showing up with forgotten items, attending games, and navigating friend and boy drama. The chapter ends with Caroline’s phone buzzing—it’s Isaac Opoku calling.

Key Events

Caroline interviews Dru-Ann in the basement theater, with Dru-Ann initially wary of being filmed.
Dru-Ann recounts meeting Hollis at UNC Chapel Hill and their instant chemistry.
The sorority rush: Dru-Ann and Hollis attend events together; Dru-Ann is aggressively recruited by Beta Beta Beta.
Stacia Starmack tells Dru-Ann the sorority wants her because she is Black and critiques Hollis’s lack of polish.
Dru-Ann and Hollis leave the bid party and decide to be a “sorority of two.”
At Christmas, Dru-Ann overhears Hollis’s phone call revealing her mother is dead.
On New Year’s Eve, Dru-Ann uses Malört shots as a pretext to confront Hollis about the lie.
Hollis confesses her mother died in her infancy; she lied to avoid feeling defective.
Dru-Ann forgives Hollis and reaffirms their friendship.
Caroline, listening, gains new perspective on her mother’s parenting.
Isaac Opoku calls Caroline, interrupting her reflection.

Character Development

Dru-Ann: Reveals her loyalty and emotional intelligence. She chooses forgiveness over anger after learning Hollis’s secret, and she values the friendship above social status or sorority acceptance. Her interview shows a reflective, mature side.
Hollis / Young Hollis: Shown as vulnerable and ashamed of her background. She hid her mother’s death to pretend she was “whole,” but the New Year’s confession deepens her bond with Dru-Ann. This backstory explains her later drive for success and curated image.
Caroline: Experiences an “aha moment” about her mother. She realizes Hollis had no maternal role model and still became a devoted, present mother. This shifts Caroline’s view of Hollis from a celebrity online persona to a real person with a difficult past.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The “one good friend” principle: Charlotte Shaw’s mantra becomes the foundation of Dru-Ann and Hollis’s friendship. It recurs at the bid party and again in Dru-Ann’s forgiveness, underscoring that deep friendship can substitute for family.
The shot of Malört: Jeppson’s Malört is notoriously bitter, symbolizing the harsh truth Dru-Ann forces into the open. Drinking it together becomes a rite of passage that solidifies their trust.
Sorority as belonging: Beta Beta Beta represents social acceptance and polish, but Dru-Ann and Hollis reject it in favor of an authentic, self-defined bond. The sorority system here critiques superficial judgments based on race and class.
Motherlessness and shame: Hollis felt “defective” without a mother; her lie is a defense mechanism. The chapter explores how early loss shapes identity and the relief of vulnerability.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 33 provides the emotional core of Dru-Ann and Hollis’s friendship, explaining why they remain close decades later. It also gives Caroline a transformative understanding of her mother’s resilience and love, which will likely influence her documentary and her relationship with Hollis. The parallel between Hollis’s own lack of a mother and her success as a mother highlights one of the novel’s central questions: how do we become who we are?

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Dru-Ann decide to forgive Hollis after learning about the lie?
Dru-Ann had prepared to be angry, but she realizes that her happiest years at Chapel Hill are due entirely to Hollis. She chooses empathy over indignation, remembering her own blessings of a full family and recognizing Hollis’s pain. She recites the “one good friend” principle to reassure Hollis.
What does the sorority bid party scene reveal about social hierarchy at UNC?
Stacia Starmack’s comments show that the sorority values Dru-Ann partly for her race and rejects Hollis for her lack of money. This exposes how class and race intersect in college social systems, and Dru-Ann’s decision to leave with Hollis values friendship over status.
How does Caroline’s view of her mother change after hearing this story?
Caroline had romanticized her father and taken her mother’s presence for granted. Now she realizes Hollis never had a mother to model after, yet she still showed up for Caroline in every practical and emotional way. Caroline sees her mother as “unconditional” and amazing for figuring out motherhood alone.