46 pages • 1 hour read
Tillie ColeA Thousand Boy Kisses
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 13-Bonus SceneChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Dark Clouds and Blue Skies”
Four days later, Poppy collapses at school, and Rune carries her home and calls 911. As they wait for the ambulance, Poppy keeps hold of Rune’s hand and promises that she is not dying yet. Rune and Poppy’s mother ride in the ambulance with Poppy, while Rune’s parents bring Alton, Ida, and Savannah to the hospital.
Rune stays with Poppy while doctors perform tests. Poppy is hot, and they determine she is struggling to fight an infection. The doctors plan to induce a coma to help Poppy fight off the infection. Rune holds Poppy’s hand and reassures her that she will survive. Poppy’s mother and father cry and kiss Poppy, and Rune reflects that Poppy does not like her family seeing her this way.
Rune goes to sit in the hospital garden, where Poppy’s father finds him. James explains the doubts he had about Rune when Rune’s family came back from Oslo. However, seeing how happy Poppy is with Rune has convinced James that Rune’s purpose in life is to help Poppy enjoy her final months. Rune says he loves Poppy, and James is glad, adding that Rune can spend as much time at the hospital as he wants. Rune starts to light a cigarette, but he stops when he pictures Poppy’s disappointed face.
Back inside, Rune sits with Alton, who worries that Rune will go back to being angry if Poppy dies. Rune promises to never ignore Alton again. When the doctors allow it, Rune sits with Poppy, who is now in a coma. He tells her about all 902 kisses they shared and the 98 they still need to share.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Blossoms Bloomed and Peace Restored”
One week passes with Rune spending all his time in Poppy’s hospital room. Friends from school visit and bring Rune his schoolwork, and they worry about his plans for after high school. Rune says he is only concerned with Poppy right now. Poppy’s parents and sisters welcome Rune into their family, and they let Rune sleep in Poppy’s bed. Rune’s father develops Rune’s photos and brings them to the hospital, which Rune appreciates.
The doctors wake Poppy up over the course of a few days, and Rune watches each twitch of Poppy’s hands and eyes. Rune asks a nurse to move Poppy’s bed to the window so that Poppy can watch the first sunrise when she wakes up. As Poppy comes in and out of consciousness, Rune holds her hand and looks in her eyes, which relaxes her. She finally wakes up to the sunrise, and Rune shows her the pictures he took while she was in a coma. They share kiss 903. Poppy is weak from the infection and needs to use a wheelchair.
Days later, the blossom grove blooms, and Rune brings Poppy to the grove in her wheelchair. Poppy relishes the flowers, and Rune takes pictures. Rune feels Poppy is holding on to life until Rune is ready to let her go. Rune compares Poppy to the cherry blossoms, saying her intense beauty can only last a short time. Poppy worries she will not make it to prom, but Rune holds out for a miracle. Poppy fears she will forget her life when she dies, including the kisses, sunrises, and blossoms. Rune thinks Poppy will remember everything, and Poppy says they will be together again someday. Rune says he will tell her about his life after she dies, and Poppy asks him to wait one year. Poppy heard that souls take one year to move on, so Rune must wait to talk to Poppy until her soul is in heaven.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Moonbeam Hearts and Sunshine Smiles”
Two weeks later, Poppy’s mother helps her into a white dress, and Poppy realizes it is a prom gown. Rune arrives in a tuxedo with his hair combed back, and Poppy sees that he is fulfilling her wish. Rune confirms that prom is happening early so Poppy can attend, and Rune carries her to the car. Poppy can hear music coming from the school as they arrive, and teachers and chaperones greet her warmly. Poppy and Rune share kiss 994. Poppy’s friends greet her, and she waves to Avery across the room. Jorie tells the DJ to play “If I Could Fly” by One Direction, and Rune picks Poppy up to dance. They have kiss 995 while dancing, and Poppy asks Rune if he can take her somewhere. They get back in the car, and Poppy says she wants to go to the beach to see the sunrise.
Rune sets up blankets at the beach, and Poppy and Rune lie together on the sand. Poppy says she has enjoyed her short life, and she asks Rune if he regrets anything. Rune says he does not, and Poppy tells him he needs to live life for both of them after she dies. She tells him to go on adventures and remember “moonbeam hearts and sunshine smiles” (314). Poppy says she is ready to go home, meaning both her physical home and heaven. Rune brings her to the car, and they drive home. Poppy stares at Rune, wanting to enjoy his presence until the end.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Dreams Promised and Captured Moments”
Two days later, Poppy’s family gathers to say goodbye to Poppy. Rune takes her hand, and they kiss—number 1,000. Poppy takes her last breath, and Rune continues kissing her cheeks, counting past 1,000. James stops Rune, and Rune feels Poppy’s hand rigid in his own. Rune fills out the paper heart for kiss 1,000. This is the fourth moment that defines his life.
One week later, they have a funeral for Poppy. Rune’s father gives him an envelope and some boxes, saying Poppy prepared them before her death. The first box includes an acceptance letter to Tisch, and Poppy’s letter explains that Erik helped her assemble a portfolio for Rune. The next box contains the portfolio of Rune’s best photos, the last of which is of Poppy and makes Rune think of Esther’s photo at the Tisch exhibition. The last box includes a note reminding Rune to accept new adventures, and Poppy thanks Rune for loving her during her short life. Inside the last box is a jar of blue paper hearts labeled “A Thousand Girl Kisses.”
One year later, Rune gathers 1,000 people in the blossom grove. He brings Alton with him. Every person has a Chinese lantern with one of the 1,000 kisses Rune and Poppy shared written on it. Rune’s lantern has kiss 1,000. Rune addresses the crowd, thanking them for coming, and the group lights and releases their lanterns. Alton helps Rune light his own lantern, and Rune feels that he has communicated the 1,000 kisses to Poppy in heaven. Alton asks why they had to release the lanterns in the grove, and Rune tells Alton that Poppy was like the blossoms’ fleeting beauty.
Epilogue Summary
Ten years later, Rune walks in the blossom grove in a dream. He finds Poppy by their favorite tree, and they kiss and sit together. Rune tells Poppy about his family and photography. Poppy asks if Rune regrets never finding another woman to fall in love with, and he says he gave all his love to Poppy. Rune thinks the grass is unusually real; in his dreams of Poppy, he never feels temperature or texture. Feeling a warm breeze, Rune realizes he is not dreaming. Poppy reveals that Rune died peacefully and says that his family knows he is in a better place. Rune is excited to spend eternity with Poppy, and they kiss a “forever kiss.” Poppy’s “heart almost burst[s]” (336).
Bonus Scene Summary
After releasing the lanterns, Rune goes to Poppy’s house with Alton and his parents. Poppy’s mother is glad Rune is doing well at NYU, but she cannot imagine Rune’s sadness after seeing how much he and Poppy loved each other. Poppy’s father greets Rune, and Ida tells Rune about her dance team. Ida tells Rune that Savannah switched to homeschooling and is struggling to overcome her grief.
At dinner, Savannah joins them, dressed in black, and Rune sees how sad she is. Everyone reminisces about things Poppy said, and Savannah leaves the room. After dinner, Rune finds Savannah with Poppy’s journal. Savannah says she cannot bring herself to read the journal, and she asks how Rune lives each day without Poppy. Rune says he feels Poppy with him, encouraging him, although he admits that he cannot get out of bed some days.
Rune goes to the blossom grove and finds Poppy’s gravestone. He lies down by the stone and wakes up in a dream with Poppy next to him. Rune tells Poppy about her family and NYU, and Poppy asks Rune to tell her what they would be doing in New York together. They discuss waking up, having breakfast, sitting in their apartment, going out for dinner, having sex, and going to bed. Rune panics when he realizes the dream is ending, but Poppy says she loves him and is proud of him. Rune wakes up and still feels Poppy’s warmth next to him, and he says aloud that he loves Poppy.
Chapter 13-Bonus Scene Analysis
The way Rune cares for Poppy near the end of her life underscores The Intensity of Young Love and proves its reality to Rune and Poppy’s parents, resolving one of the novel’s main interpersonal conflicts. Speaking to Poppy’s father, Rune says, “I made a promise to her that I would never leave her side. And even if that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t be able to leave. My heart, soul, everything, is connected to Poppy” (276). Throughout the novel, Erik, Adelis, and James appear convinced that Rune and Poppy’s love is a typical adolescent relationship, assuming that they will eventually break up and move on. Rune and Poppy’s behavior following their separation challenges that assumption, but it is Rune’s behavior at the end of Poppy’s life that cements their love in their parents’ minds, encouraging readers to believe in it as well. Rune’s dedication to Poppy, as when he moves her bed multiple times so she can face the sunrise, shows his unwavering love for Poppy, while her insistence on holding Rune’s hand demonstrates the reciprocity of the feeling.
The sunrise itself recalls the theme of The Fleeting Nature of Life and the Importance of Memory, as do cherry blossoms, music, and photographs. Poppy highlights the ephemerality of moments like the sunrise to support Rune’s talent for photography, telling him, “Promise me, Rune. These pictures are too precious to have never been taken […] Think of what you can capture in the future” (293). Poppy’s use of the term “capture” emphasizes the brief nature of such moments of beauty and the power of Rune’s photography to create physical artifacts of those moments. Moreover, Rune’s ability to photograph allows him to choose which memories he wants to keep—i.e., those that represent better times. The only significant moment that Rune misses in this chapter section is the exact moment of Poppy’s death, which he says haunts him even after a year has passed.
The boxes Poppy leaves to Rune complete her endeavor to help Rune develop Emotional Resilience in the Face of Loss and Mortality. For most of the novel, Rune is overcome with anger and resentment, but when Erik brings him Poppy’s boxes, he tells his father he loves him. Rune thinks, “I’d blamed my pappa for so much for so long. In the end my anger caused only pain. Moonbeam hearts and sunshine smiles” (321), repeating Poppy’s mantra of optimism and resilience. Poppy’s letters also encourage Rune to avoid holding on to his grief and anger, telling him, “Know that even though I’m gone, Rune, you will never be alone. I’ll be the hand forever holding yours” (325). The conclusion of the novel’s main storyline thus marks the completion of Rune’s character arc, leaving him in a good position with regard to his own emotions—ready to take on the future and live for both Poppy and himself.
The novel includes both an epilogue and a bonus scene, each of which add additional meaning to the principal narrative. The Epilogue confirms that Rune has become a successful photographer, signaling that he embraced Poppy’s dream for him; it underscores both his character growth and the impact that Poppy’s short life had. However, he did deviate from Poppy’s wishes in one way, as he explains: “I never stopped loving you. You were enough to last a lifetime” (334). This frames Rune and Poppy’s relationship as the center of both their lives and of the narrative itself, in keeping with the conventions of the romance genre. The Epilogue also verifies Poppy’s religious belief in an afterlife: Instead of living a long life together, Poppy and Rune get a literal “happy ever after” in the afterlife, which functions as a conventional marriage would in a traditional romance novel.
The final chapter, on the other hand, is firmly grounded in this life, lending new significance to Chapter 16. It expands on Rune’s emotional state while also exploring the families of both main characters. Savannah struggles with Poppy’s death, but Rune finds an avenue to help her through sharing his own experiences. Rune tells Savannah: “I have days I can’t get out of bed […] I want to scream out loud to the heavens, asking why my soulmate was wrenched away from me” (346). Though Rune takes comfort in knowing Poppy is waiting for him in the afterlife, sharing his pain helps Savannah start to overcome her own grief. This broadening of the focus beyond the central couple reflects the emphasis the novel has placed on familial as well as romantic love.
