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55 pages 1 hour read

After Annie: A Novel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024

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Part 3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3: “Summer”

Part 3, Chapter 1 Summary

Annemarie enjoys being in the car because it reminds her of all the times Annie rode shotgun while they sang along with the radio. Annemarie and Annie had plans to finish college and take a year to travel through Europe, but these plans changed when Annie got pregnant with Ali. After having her wisdom teeth removed, Annemarie became addicted to painkillers, and the two friends canceled their travel plans. However, after Annie lost her most recent baby, resulting in a hysterectomy, she began talking about their trip again. They made plans for a shorter trip once Ali and Ant were old enough to take care of themselves.

Now, seeing that Annemarie isn’t doing well, Tom offers to take her to Paris, but she declines. Annemarie asks Bill if she can take Ali on a trip, but he says it is too soon. Annemarie understands that Bill distrusts her because of her substance use disorder. However, Annemarie still remembers that Bill’s first reaction to Annie’s announcement that she was pregnant was, “What are you going to do about it?” (148). Annemarie has never forgiven him for this. In the present, Annemarie drives to the Mennonite community called Paschal Flowers and purchases handmade goods to resell. Annemarie first discovered the place when she passed out on the porch of one of the Mennonite homes; a Mennonite woman named Maude took care of her until Annie arrived. Annie then took Annemarie to the nursing home and forced her to stay there for 10 days. Annemarie is glad that Bill didn’t allow her to attend the memorial service at the nursing home; she has too many bad memories of detoxing there and is worried that some of the residents would remember her.

Now, Maude greets Annemarie and invites her in for tea. Annemarie contemplates moving to the Mennonite commune to rest in the peace she finds there despite the painful memories of her first visit. After a while, Annemarie drifts off to sleep in her memories of Annie and the darker days of their relationship. During the worst of her substance use disorder, Annemarie lost touch with Annie and resorted to unethical acts to support her substance use disorder, such as propositioning a doctor in exchange for pills.

Leaving the Mennonite community, Annemarie passes by the dilapidated ranch house where she once came with an artist to buy drugs. On that occasion, two men tried to assault her, and she ran from the house and sought shelter on the Mennonites’ front porch. Annemarie wonders if she would still buy from the dealer now to blunt her pain. Annemarie knocks on the door, but a mother and two children now inhabit the home, so she pretends to be in search of directions. Annemarie chews on Tic-Tacs to quell her urge to take drugs. She accidentally calls Annie’s phone, then calls and cancels her doctor’s appointment.

Part 3, Chapter 2 Summary

There are many things that Ali doesn’t understand about Jenny. First, Jenny doesn’t have to participate in PE because she says she has asthma, but Ali has seen her run, sled, and play basketball without getting out of breath. Jenny always wants to come to her house despite living in a mansion with a plush canopy bed and her own bathroom. Anytime Ali asks Jenny to go somewhere or participate in an activity, she says, “I can’t.” Ali also notices that Jenny only changes her clothes behind closed doors. Once, when Jenny was changing at their house, Annie accidentally walked in on her and later told Ali that Jenny has psoriasis, which explains why she always wears long sleeves.

Jenny invites Ali to a sleepover for the first time, but Ali worries that it is because her mother feels sorry for her. Still, the girls excitedly settle in for popcorn and movies. Suddenly, Jenny’s mom appears and says she thought Jenny’s father was away for the weekend, but because he is returning, Ali must go home. Jenny cries and pleads with her mother to let Ali stay. When her mother insists that Ali leave immediately, Jenny locks herself in the bathroom, and her mother angrily shouts that they will remove the door to get her out. Jenny’s mom drives Ali home and apologizes profusely, claiming that they will try again another time. Shaken by seeing her friend so upset, Ali stares out the window at the moon, which reminds her of her mother. From the window, she sees her father and Liz returning from a date. Bill kisses Liz under the moonlight, and Ali is infuriated. She cannot understand how her father has moved on so quickly. Unsure how to process her anger, Ali runs back to Jenny’s house, intent on sneaking in and staying the night with her friend for comfort. Through Jenny’s window, Ali sees Jenny’s father enter her room and then get into Jenny’s bed. The sight and the unfamiliar sound from him frighten Ali, and she runs home, wishing that her mother would be there to explain everything.

Part 3, Chapter 3 Summary

Annemarie stopped regularly attending NA meetings years into her recovery, but now, feeling that a relapse is inevitable, she attends a meeting in town. She begins her story the same way she always does. Annemarie shares how Annie saved her life by rescuing her from the porch steps, hiding her in an empty room at the nursing home, and caring for her while she detoxed. During her stay, some of the residents visited Annemarie, and one lady shared the story about her niece, who has a substance use disorder. The niece stole from the lady and then tried to blame it on the nursing home staff. Though Annemarie never stole to support her habit, she was ashamed to think that she could become like the lady’s niece. The revelation inspired her to enter a residential rehab facility. Back in the present, Annemarie reaches into her bag for a Tic-Tac and feels the half-empty prescription bottle that the dentist gave her after she chipped a tooth. She holds it “tight, like a comfort object” (180).

Part 3, Chapter 4 Summary

Annie and Annemarie always spoke frankly with Ali about sex and consent, but Ali still doesn’t understand everything about it. On the last day of school, she tells Jenny that she returned to her house after the failed sleepover and saw her dad in her room. Ali asks if Jenny’s father hurt her, and Jenny nervously says that she was sleeping. Jenny is still preoccupied with Ali’s habit of seeing the counselor. Jenny leaves for a month-long family trip, and Ali returns to her house and stares into her room, trying to puzzle out what she thinks she saw. Ali wishes her mother were here to help her figure this out, but her memories of Annie are growing faint. Now that summer is here, Ali’s sessions with Miss Cruz are over, and she misses talking to her counselor, who truly listens to her. Ali calls Annemarie twice for help, but Annemarie doesn’t return her calls. When Annemarie finally calls, she tells Ali that she’s taking her on a trip.

Ant isn’t doing well in school, and when he returns from sports camp, he must attend summer school. Bill is dating Liz, and Jamie likes her. Annemarie picks Ali up for their trip and explains that Liz and her father knew one another from high school. However, Ali doesn’t understand how this makes it easier for her dad to move on from Annie so quickly. Annemarie talks incessantly during the car ride, but Ali doesn’t say much. Car rides with her mother were always a special time; they had some of their most important conversations in the car. Ali and Annemarie arrive at the Mennonite community, and Annemarie introduces Ali to Maude. Ali spends the afternoon helping to harvest honey. One of the young girls tells Ali that her mother died, and the two girls bond over stories of how much they loved the way their mothers smelled. When they leave, Maude tells Annemarie to bring Ali again sometime. Maude is worried about Annemarie, who shrugs off her concern.

Part 3, Chapter 5 Summary

Bill receives a report from the camp director that Ant is fighting and cursing and is one step away from getting sent home. Bill tells Ant over the phone that he needs to change his behavior, but Ant doesn’t respond. Bill remembers the one time he went away to camp and became so homesick that he was nauseous and couldn’t eat. The feeling disappeared when he came home, and he wondered why he had ever felt that way. Bill considers grief to be like homesickness, for he doesn’t just miss Annie; he misses how she made their house feel like home. Life with Annie was comfortably predictable, which appeals to Bill’s regimented personality. Now, he feels like there is no pattern to life, and without Annie at their center, they are all spinning out of control. Bill continues to see the counselor, who tells him that all his feelings are valid, even when he admits to feeling guilty for misusing alcohol to dull his pain.

Liz and Bill’s relationship has turned physical, and Bill is surprised when he does not feel guilty the first time they have sex. Still, Liz annoys him sometimes, and he doesn’t like it when she talks about Annie. Liz wants Bill to open his plumbing supply business and purchase a larger home. Although spending time with Liz gives him the pleasant feeling that he is back in high school, he cannot help but wonder if she feels sorry for him and is trying to control his life. Dora likes Liz but disagrees with Bill’s decision to purchase a house. Knowing that Dora will disapprove, Bill hasn’t told her that Liz wants to send Ant to a private school. Dora thinks that Bill is too skinny and blames Ali for not feeding him enough, and Bill tells her to shut up. Dora responds by making Bill feel bad for considering relocating the family.

Bill hates the thought of people feeling sorry for him, but it comes with being a young widower. One night at the bar, Bill’s friend Brian explodes when another friend offers Bill condolences. Bill remembers that Brian’s child drowned and realizes that everyone is carrying hidden grief. Annie’s memory is beginning to fade in Bill’s mind, and he wishes that he could understand why. Annemarie has been distant, and the tension between them grows. Bill admits that he doesn’t understand women; Annie was the only woman who ever understood him.

Bill drives to pick up Ant from camp and hopes that the car ride will allow them to talk, but Ant remains closed-off and evasive. Ant’s hat flies out the window, and Bill stops the car to rescue it, injuring his hand. When Ant makes a snide comment that he doesn’t like the hat, Bill confesses that he is trying his best. Ant breaks and begins sobbing, and Bill wraps him in a hug, thankful that his son is finally releasing his grief. Ant confesses that he needs his mother and fears that Bill will marry Liz, but Bill promises that he is not getting remarried.

Part 3 Analysis

The season-based symbolism continues to punctuate the narrative, for just as the ground begins to soften and bring forth new life in summer, the characters have endured six months of grief and now let their emotions loose, revealing new levels of understanding and new layers of uncertainty as they wrestle with the continuation of life after a significant loss. By exploring The Different Manifestations of Grief, Part 3 reveals how each main character must manage their grief in the midst of everyday duties and pressures. Bill must continue answering plumbing calls, Annemarie must run her business, and Ali must attend school and manage household duties. However, each person searches for comfort in different ways; Bill leans into a romantic relationship with Liz, Ali becomes more vulnerable through her counseling sessions, and Annemarie circles the drain of relapse. As each character dwells on the nature of grief and realizes separately that others around them are carrying their own versions of grief and loss, seeing how others cope legitimizes their struggles. For example, Bill empathizes with Brian’s outburst at the bar when he remembers that Brian’s child died. Similarly, as the secret of Jenny’s abusive household comes to light, Ali realizes that her friend is also profoundly hurting even if she does not understand the finer nuances of the situation. In many ways, Ant exemplifies the family’s unprocessed feelings, for he finally releases his pent-up grief and anger after suppressing it for six months. Finally returning to his fatherly duties, Bill creates a space where his son feels safe enough to share his true feelings. Ant’s experience with misplaced anger reinforces the diverse ways in which people respond to loss, and his breakthrough in the car with this father implies that empathy, open communication, and grace are the most effective remedies for his emotional turmoil.

The narrative emphasizes the necessity of Redefining Identity After Loss when summer finds Bill experiencing the growing pains of becoming a new person in the absence of his wife. Before Annie’s death, Bill never had to think about his identity because he and Annie’s abrupt entrance into marriage and parenting bonded them uniquely; they learned how to be adults as they raised a family together. Losing Annie forces Bill to take stock of who he was with her and who he must become without her. Because Bill was never in charge of his household or his family, Annie’s loss destabilizes Bill’s sense of security. He misses the safe, predictable life that she created, and in his first attempts to redefine himself, he turns to another woman for help in this internal struggle, rekindling his old romance with Liz. However, Liz is a poor substitute for the woman who used to make Bill feel complete; by contrast, Liz makes him feel small. For Bill, his true turning point occurs when he remembers that he is a father and makes an effort to be present in his children’s lives and help them grieve. This inner shift is best exemplified by his tenderness with Ant. Likewise, when Bill stands up for Ali and silences his mother’s unfair criticism of her, he takes back his autonomy and shows his daughter that she is valuable for more than cooking and cleaning, something he took for granted in Annie. Thus, the narrative implies that although Bill can never show Annie the appreciation she deserved for how she held the family together, he can start afresh by supporting his daughter.

Similarly, Annie’s loss robs Annemarie of her accountability partner, leaving her more vulnerable to the temptation to resume misusing substances to block out her grief. When Annie was alive, she leveraged her friendship against Annemarie’s substance use disorder, threatening to cut ties if Annemarie didn’t stay sober. Now that Annie is gone, Annemarie hears Annie’s admonishing voice each time she thinks about getting high; However, the increasing rate of these moments foreshadows the fact that the mere memory of Annie is not a sufficient deterrent to prevent her from relapsing. Managing her substance use disorder without Annie forces Annemarie to develop resilience and redefine her recovery without her best friend to hold her accountable. Without Annie, Annemarie must find an internal reason to stay sober.

As with Annie’s inner struggle, these chapters employ memory as a powerful device for learning more about each character’s history; each character has a divergent story, but Annie is the common thread holding them all together. Significantly, Annemarie’s visions of Annie rescuing her from the porch exemplify The Double-Edged Sword of Memory, for Annie becomes the hero of Annemarie’s story. Additionally, Annemarie’s perspective reveals that she has romanticized this story, as is suggested by the fact that she opens every recovery meeting by recounting it. While Annie’s support for Annemarie undoubtedly saved her life, it is clear that Annemarie relied too heavily on Annie to maintain her sobriety. As a result, retelling this event isn’t helping Annemarie move forward; instead, focusing on it is pushing her toward another relapse. While Annemarie’s struggle is particularly dire, each character begins to feel Annie’s memory fading as time passes. Although this is a part of healing, the characters believe that they are betraying Annie by forgetting her, and this conviction implies that their healing process is not yet complete.

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