Chapter summaries The Night We Met Abby Jimenez

Chapter 37: Larissa -- Confronting Addiction and Broken Trust

⚠️ 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

Mike corners Larissa in their room, worried about her distance. She confronts him about a recent night when he came home drunk, passed out, and urinated on the floor. Mike admits remembering and confesses that he bought a bottle of vodka and drank alone. He reveals that his drinking has been off and on for a couple of years, using it to help with sleeping, talking, and being himself. Larissa asks if he is an alcoholic; he denies it, but his face tells her the truth. She realizes he lied about having migraines and other excuses to hide his drinking. Mike confesses his deep insecurity, fearing he is not good enough for her and that she will leave him. He also admits he hasn't been working for his friend Tony as she believed. Larissa feels trapped -- she has no home to retreat to. After Samantha knocks to invite her to the hot tub, Larissa says she needs to think and leaves.

Key Events

  • Mike initiates a conversation about Larissa's distant behavior.
  • Larissa recounts the night Mike was drunk, passed out, and peed on the floor.
  • Mike admits to buying and drinking vodka alone at home.
  • He confesses that drinking has been a problem for about two years.
  • Larissa asks directly if he is an alcoholic; his denial is contradicted by his expression.
  • She realizes that his claimed migraines and other excuses were likely due to hangovers.
  • Mike explains his drinking helps him cope with anxiety and insecurity.
  • He reveals his fear that Larissa will leave him because he isn't good enough.
  • Mike admits he hasn't actually been working for Tony.
  • Larissa feels trapped having moved in together with no fallback home.
  • Samantha interrupts, and Larissa leaves to join her at the hot tub.

Character Development

Larissa faces a painful reckoning. She confronts Mike with evidence of his drinking and lies, drawing on her past experience with her father's similar behavior. Despite her awareness, she acknowledges her own broken judgment -- she should have recognized the signs earlier. The chapter underscores her internal conflict between wanting to trust Mike and protecting herself from repeating a cycle of dysfunction.

Mike reveals a vulnerable side previously hidden behind his charming facade. He admits his fears of inadequacy, his coping mechanism with alcohol, and his lies about his job. His denial of alcoholism, despite clear evidence, shows his inability to confront the severity of his problem. His tears and pleading demonstrate desperation but also emotional manipulation.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Addiction and Secrecy: The chapter centers on the hidden nature of Mike's drinking and his lies to cover it up. Larissa counts drinks, showing the toll of living with an addict.

Trust and Betrayal: Mike lied by omission for months. Larissa feels "catfished" and compares his behavior to her father's, highlighting how broken trust echoes across relationships.

Cycles of Dysfunction: Larissa swore she would never be with a man like her father, yet she finds herself in a similar situation. She recognizes her inability to trust her own instincts, a painful motif of generational patterns.

Insecurity and Self-Worth: Mike's confession that he drinks because he's afraid Larissa will leave him reveals his low self-esteem. He uses alcohol to numb his feelings of inadequacy.

The Dream Catcher: Mike stares at a dream catcher on the wall -- a symbol of trapping bad dreams. It contrasts with Larissa's trapped reality and Mike's inability to catch or control his own destructive habits.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the emotional climax of Mike and Larissa's relationship arc. It strips away the facade of their happy couple image and exposes the deep cracks. Mike's confession recontextualizes earlier events -- his absences, his excuses, his behavior at the cabin -- as symptoms of an ongoing addiction. For Larissa, the discovery triggers the realization that she has repeated a pattern she thought she had escaped. The chapter sets the stage for her difficult decision about whether to stay or leave, and it deepens the novel's exploration of how love can coexist with deception and self-destruction.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. How does Larissa's history with her father affect her reaction to Mike's drinking?
    She grew up with a father who also struggled with secrecy and self-destruction. She explicitly says she cannot handle the same pattern again, yet the situation forces her to recognize that she failed to see the signs despite her past experience.

  2. Why does Mike deny being an alcoholic even when confronted with clear evidence?
    Mike insists he can stop whenever he wants, typical of denial in addiction. He also fears the label will confirm Larissa's worst fears and lead her to leave him. His denial is a defense mechanism to avoid facing the severity of his problem.

  3. What does Larissa mean when she says she is "trapped" at the end of the chapter?
    Having moved in with Mike, she no longer has her own apartment to retreat to. The lack of a safe space removes her ability to gain distance and think clearly, forcing her to confront the reality of their living situation without an easy escape route.

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