67 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer BrownA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Part 1, Chapters 1-2
Part 1, Chapters 3-4
Part 1, Chapter 5
Part 2, Chapters 6-7
Part 2, Chapters 8-9
Part 2, Chapters 10-11
Part 2, Chapters 12-13
Part 2, Chapters 14-15
Part 3, Chapters 16-17
Part 3, Chapters 18-19
Part 3, Chapters 20-21
Part 3, Chapters 22-23
Part 3, Chapters 24-25
Part 3, Chapters 26-27
Part 3, Chapters 28-29
Part 3, Chapters 30-31
Part 3, Chapters 32-33
Part 3, Chapters 34-35
Part 3, Chapters 36-37
Part 3, Chapters 38-39
Part 3, Chapters 40-41
Part 3, Chapters 42-43
Part 4, Chapter 44
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Valerie finds Jessica alone at a cancelled student council meeting and attempts to get back on the memorial committee. She brings an outline of the plan and shows it to Jessica, who loves it; the plan involves interviewing each of the victim’s families, to gain a better measure of the personal loss that day. First, they go to Mr. Kline’s home and speak to his widow. Then, Jessica and Valerie travel to Abby Dempsey’s home. Then, they visit Max Hill’s home and speak with his sister. From there, they visit Ginny; they can’t see her because of another recent suicide attempt, so they speak with her mother instead. Finally, the girls end up at Christy Bruter’s house, where they speak to Christy and her parents, who express nothing but gratitude their daughter is alive. According to Mr. Bruter, “‘We’ve learned a lot about forgiveness since this happened […] We have no interest in seeing anyone else suffer over this tragedy. Not anyone’” (385).
The next day, in Hieler’s office, Valerie remarks, “I know this sounds stupid, but I think talking to all those people reminded me of who I really am” (387). She remembers that she liked school and that she was thinking about going to college.