Chapter 9: “6” – Chemo, Impermanence, and the Gift of Presence

⚠️ 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

July arrives again, and Daphne accompanies Eddie to his chemotherapy appointment. Eddie now uses a cane, struggles with fatigue, and reflects on their first meeting forty-five years ago. In the crowded waiting room, they discuss Daphne’s mother, who recently buried Lucas in a hemp casket and sold the house. Eddie reveals he and Daphne’s mother have been exchanging notes, working through old regrets. Chemo runs late, and Eddie shares his resolution to never be angry again. He talks about impermanence and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, explaining the bardo—a transitional state after death—and asks Daphne to promise she will tell him he is dead when the time comes. They practice by imagining Lucas, long dead, still stuck in the bardo; Daphne envisions lying beside Lucas’s body and telling him to move on. After chemo, Daphne insists on taking Eddie home. There they find Skip waiting with dim sum. Eddie leans exhausted into Skip, and Daphne leaves, realizing she knows nothing about the other relationships in her life. She calls Jonathan, who confesses his own failure: during his first wife Candy’s chemotherapy, he often abandoned her out of fear. Daphne, overwhelmed, thinks of Whistler’s success as a small comfort.

Key Events

Daphne picks up Eddie for his July chemo appointment; he uses a cane bought at Duane Reade.
In the waiting room, Eddie asks about Lucas’s mushroom casket and reveals he has been writing letters to Daphne’s mother.
Eddie announces he will never be angry again, then falls asleep.
After a long wait, they are assigned the same treatment room as before, which giddies them.
Eddie explains the bardo concept from The Tibetan Book of the Dead and requests that Daphne tell him he is dead after his passing.
Daphne and Eddie silently practice on Lucas: Daphne imagines lying beside him in the yard and telling him to leave.
Eddie connects Mary Carter’s vision of dead people to the bardo, suggesting she was in a transitional state.
Post-chemo, Daphne refuses to let Eddie take a taxi alone; she accompanies him home.
Skip surprises them at Eddie’s apartment with dim sum; Eddie leans into him, exhausted.
Daphne leaves and phones Jonathan, who admits he left his first wife Candy alone during her chemo treatment.
The chapter ends with Daphne thinking about Whistler’s success.

Character Development

Daphne – Deepens her commitment to Eddie, taking him to chemo despite emotional difficulty. She grapples with the complexity of family relationships (her mother, Lucas, Buddy) and begins to acknowledge her own limitations in understanding others.
Eddie – Shows vulnerability and physical decline (cane, fatigue) while displaying mental clarity and acceptance. His desire to practice nonattachment and to ask for help after death reveals growth and a wish to spare his loved ones confusion.
Skip – Appears unexpectedly, caring for Eddie in a quiet, physical way (leaning, patting his head). This softens Daphne’s previous impression of him.
Jonathan – Opens up about his past failure with Candy, demonstrating guilt and a current willingness to be present for Daphne during Eddie’s illness.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Impermanence and Nonattachment – Eddie’s study of the bardo and his insistence on “practicing” for death illustrate a theme of accepting that all things, including life, must end.
The Bardo as Transition – The bardo represents the challenge of moving on after loss, both for the dead (Lucas) and the living (Daphne’s mother). Eddie frames it as a universal human difficulty with change.
Chemotherapy as Shared Ritual – The waiting room, the nurse’s routine, and the infusion itself become a site of intimacy and vulnerability, highlighting the act of showing up for someone in suffering.
Guilt and Redemption – Jonathan’s confession and Eddie’s letter-writing to Daphne’s mother both show characters trying to heal from past regrets about how they treated loved ones.
The “Shard of Glass” – Eddie uses this image for unresolved emotions (shame, disappointment, regret) that can be pried loose with honest connection.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the bond between Daphne and Eddie and provides a philosophical framework for mortality that echoes the novel’s larger concerns about change and acceptance. Eddie’s bardo discussion gives symbolic weight to every death in the story—Lucas, Buddy, and implied future deaths. Jonathan’s parallel confession about Candy connects Eddie’s illness to a broader pattern of human failure and the difficulty of being present. The chapter also resets the relationship between Daphne and Skip, showing them cooperating in Eddie’s care. Finally, the mention of Whistler’s success grounds the emotional weight in the continued thread of the title character’s remarkable run.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Eddie ask Daphne to promise to tell him he is dead?
Eddie fears he might become confused after death, stuck in the bardo like Lucas. He wants Daphne to help him accept his transition, believing that a peaceful death requires clear guidance from loved ones.
How does Jonathan’s confession about Candy affect the meaning of this chapter?
Jonathan admits he left his first wife alone during chemotherapy because of fear. His failure deepens the theme of how difficult it is to stay present for someone who is suffering, and it contrasts with Daphne’s unwavering presence for Eddie, showing the weight of that choice.
What does Daphne realize about relationships at the end of the chapter?
Watching Skip support Eddie, Daphne realizes she knows “nothing at all” about anyone else’s relationship. This recognition undermines earlier judgments and underscores the opacity of even intimate connections.