The Perfect Couple Chapter 38: Nantucket – Summary & 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

After the kayak ride, Merritt Monaco returns to shore soaking wet and crying, while Tag Winbury kicks the kayak in frustration. Merritt calls him craven and heartless, recalling how he once stood outside her apartment like a lovesick teenager. During the kayak trip, she jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to gain his attention, nearly drowning before Tag pulled her back. He insisted their relationship was “a fling … for fun, for release, for escape” and nothing more. Merritt now realizes his obsession did not last. She longs for a love like Benji and Celeste’s. Alone and exhausted, she cuts her foot on a shard of glass from a dropped champagne tray. She reveals she is pregnant and will raise the child alone, perhaps as a “Millennial Influencer Turned Unwed Mother.” She wades back into the water to retrieve the silver ring she threw away, but it remains just beyond her reach.

Key Events

Merritt and Tag return from the kayak ride; Merritt is crying, Tag is furious.
Tag kicks the kayak, then retreats to the house, deciding to postpone further conversation until after the wedding.
Merritt recalls jumping off the kayak in a desperate bid for attention and nearly drowning.
Tag hauls her back onto the kayak and angrily states their relationship was only a fling.
Merritt removes her silver ring, throws it into the water, and immediately regrets it.
She cuts her foot on broken glass from the dropped champagne tray.
Merritt reveals she is pregnant and decides to raise the child alone.
She re-enters the water to find the ring, but it stays out of reach.

Character Development

Merritt Monaco: Her arc deepens as she confronts the end of her affair with Tag. She moves from desperate attention-seeking to a painful acceptance of her situation. Her plan to raise the child alone shows a newfound resolve, yet her final attempt to retrieve the ring reveals lingering emotional attachment.
Tag Winbury: Tag’s cruelty and cowardice are fully exposed. He dismisses the affair as meaningless, prioritizes wedding appearances over Merritt’s feelings, and offers no support. His earlier obsession has vanished, leaving only irritation.
Celeste and Benji: Though not present, they serve as Merritt’s idealized example of true, lasting love—the “perfect couple” she envies.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The ring: Symbolizes Tag’s hollow promises and the fragility of Merritt’s hope. She throws it away in anger, retrieves it out of loneliness, and ultimately cannot hold onto it—much like the relationship.
Water and drowning: The ocean represents both Merritt’s emotional overwhelm and her attempt to escape. Jumping off the kayak is a literal cry for help; later, floating in the water parallels her drifting, unresolved state.
Glass shard: The broken glass from a champagne glass—a wedding symbol—wounds her, reinforcing how the wedding celebration has become a source of pain.
Pregnancy: Introduced here as a new burden and a possible source of agency. Merritt’s decision to keep the baby foreshadows a future disconnected from the Winburys.
Secrets held by the island: The chapter’s epigraph (“Nantucket Island holds her people’s secrets”) sets the tone for Merritt’s hidden pregnancy and the hidden truth of the affair.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 38 is a turning point for Merritt. It reveals the true nature of Tag’s feelings and the consequences of their affair: Merritt is pregnant and utterly alone. This chapter reframes events from Merritt’s perspective, showing her vulnerability and her final, flawed attempt to reclaim a token of the past. It also deepens the novel’s exploration of class, power, and the illusion of perfection. Merritt’s decision to raise the child alone sets up her future trajectory outside the Winbury orbit, and the unrecovered ring hints that closure may be impossible.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Merritt jump off the kayak, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?
Merritt jumps off the kayak to force Tag’s attention, hoping the dramatic act will rekindle his obsession. It reveals her desperation, emotional instability, and belief that extreme measures are necessary to hold onto a partner who is pulling away.

2. What does the silver ring symbolize for Merritt by the end of the chapter?
The ring shifts from a symbol of Tag’s passion to a keepsake for her unborn child—a physical reminder of the child’s “real father.” Yet the ring remains lost, symbolizing the unattainable love and legitimacy she craves.

3. How does Merritt’s comparison of herself to Celeste and Benji reflect her deeper desires?
Merritt envies the steady, mutual love between Benji and Celeste. She wants a relationship built on substance, not fleeting obsession. This comparison highlights her longing for permanence and her painful realization that Tag could never give her that.