Part 3, Chapters 13-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 3: “Long After”
Part 3, Chapter 13 Summary
Will and Rosie haven’t spoken for two years. Will is 30 and goes about his life as if he’s “sleepwalking.” His doctor prescribes him medicine for his depression but Will doesn’t feel it helps much. He and Jen have been together for four years, and he has a ring Gran gave him, but Jen doesn’t believe in marriage. He stops running but often hikes, and he quits Mountain Rescue. One day, he takes a picture of the landscape he knows Rosie would love but doesn’t send it to her. He’s angry that she never reaches out, and he tries to keep himself from thinking about her. Will meets with his doctor for a checkup but feels annoyed by his questions. Will assures him he’s not having suicidal thoughts. After the appointment, Jen presses Will to tell her about it—she says they rarely share their feelings, and she doesn’t want to be “just roomies.” He confesses that he attempted suicide as a teenager. Jen listens and empathizes with him, but when she pushes him to talk more, he asks her to leave him alone.
Gran dies in her sleep, and Will returns home to help Amber plan the funeral. Will feels numb and struggles to help Amber decide on music for the service. Amber thinks they should tell their mom, although she didn’t attend her father’s funeral. Amber has her email and considers reaching out, though Will doesn’t think she deserves to know. Later, Will soaks in the bathtub and finally allows himself to feel his grief. Amber knocks on the door, worried about him. They both wrestle with the reality that Gran is gone.
Rosie feels she and Simon have drifted apart. They don’t hold hands anymore. Simon is consumed with work and has frequent headaches. When he invites her parents to their anniversary dinner, she’s angry because she wants to spend time with him alone. At dinner, her mother comments on her appearance and says she “looks good.” Her mom asks about Marley, who is pregnant with her second baby. Rosie and Simon haven’t discussed the possibility of children, and Rosie wonders if that’s a bad sign. Later, she tells Simon that she used to play music. He knows from seeing photos at her parents’ home, but Rosie is sad that he doesn’t ask her about it or want to learn more about what moves her soul.
Rosie visits her mom at work and tells her she wants to divorce Simon. Mrs. Winters says that no marriage is perfect and that every couple drifts apart over time. She and Rosie’s dad aren’t happy but remain together because it’s comfortable. She tells Rosie to have a baby, but Rosie says that’s not a way to fix a marriage. When she returns home, Simon is in bed unwell. Rosie climbs into bed and tells him she wants to quit her job and start teaching music. She tries to entice Simon into sex, but he falls asleep on her arm.
Part 3, Chapter 14 Summary
Will can’t bear to be inside at Gran’s funeral and almost skips it by staying outside. Amber pulls him into the service, and he feels like he might suffocate. When the time comes for the music, Will sees Rosie walking down the aisle. She plays an original song on the guitar, and her voice captivates him just as it did so many years ago. After the service, everyone proceeds to the reception, but Will hangs back to talk to Rosie. She’s now separated from Simon and teaches music classes. Will tells her they haven’t spoken in 29 months and that he never told her he didn’t want her in his life. They argue and Will tries desperately to make her to understand how much it hurts him that she pushes him away every time they get close. Rosie wants to talk but suggests they wait until after the funeral.
At the reception, Rosie allows herself to eat bread and sugar and feels satisfied for the first time in a long time. Jen introduces herself and tells Rosie that Will always talks about her and that she knows he once loved her. Suddenly, Will storms in, visibly angry with Amber because their mom is there and Amber didn’t tell him she was coming. He tells his mother to leave. Rosie sees her in the car park crying as she drives away. Jen takes Will to a bar but won’t allow him to drink. He’s so angry, he wishes he could get into a fistfight. Jen wants him to talk about how it felt to see his mom, but he’s too angry to articulate his feelings. She tells him about talking to Rosie. She says she knows he’s still in love with Rosie after seeing how he looked at her while she sang. On the verge of tears, Jen tells Will, “I want someone to look at me like that” (283). They end their relationship amicably, and Jen leaves Will alone at the bar.
Rosie stays with her parents, but her mother is disappointed that she’s left Simon. When Rosie can’t sleep, she calls Will to tell him that, as a teen, she wanted to be with him but was too immature to see it. Will is at the airport, and he interrupts her, saying that he can’t be with her if she blames him for Josh’s death. Rosie explains Josh’s sexuality and how he was in love with Will. She says she lied to him to protect Josh. Will listens, shocked at finally hearing the truth but says he must leave.
Part 3, Chapters 13-14 Analysis
Daverley highlights The Significance of Unspoken Words and Repressed Emotion as a common denominator between Will’s relationship with Jen and Rosie’s relationship with Simon. Rosie and Will’s inability to access passion and emotional intimacy with partners other than each other reinforces the sense of them as soulmates—a traditional trope in romance narratives. Over time, Will’s convinced himself that he doesn’t deserve love from others, which keeps him from fully connecting in any relationship. This, coupled with the ongoing burden of Josh’s death, haunts Will and prevents him from living a fulfilled life. Like Will, Rosie has been drifting through life, settling for complacency and physical comfort, though she remains emotionally unfulfilled in her marriage and life. Her inability to share her true self with Simon provides a striking contrast to the emotional intensity of her relationship with Will, in which she feels deeply seen and known.
Though Daverley evidences Will’s personal growth in his sobriety, his anger and frustration in his therapy sessions represent that growth as ongoing, highlighting The Individualized Nature of Mental Health. His continuing struggle with depression explores the complexities and nuances of treating mental health over time—a process Daverley frames as constantly evolving rather than a quest for a miracle cure. Daverley highlights the ways in which dealing with the grief of Gran’s death causes Will’s trauma surrounding his mother’s abandonment to resurface, which, in turn, causes a breach in his relationship with Amber and ends his and Jen’s partnership. Will’s mother’s appearance at the funeral kindles his anger, already simmering at the surface, and he lashes out at both his mom and Amber. Seeing Rosie further complicates the situation as Will must face mourning not only the loss of his Gran but everything he’s lost in life.
For Rosie, Gran’s funeral highlights her growing self-awareness of herself, her past trauma and her present desires. Daverley employs key interaction between Rosie and her mother to demonstrate this growth, underscoring The Challenges of Complex Family Dynamics and Relationships. For example, Rosie finally articulates to her mother that she’s unhappy in her marriage and seeks advice on pursuing a divorce. Her mother’s response—encouraging her to put her emotional health aside to keep up appearances—reflects the same internalized values she projected onto Rosie as a child. As an adult, Rosie still feels the sting of her mother’s expectations and the need to do what is seen as “right” in society’s eyes, but she’s able to separate it from the pull of her own autonomy. At Gran’s funeral, Rosie eats until she is full and satisfied without guilt, marking a significant milestone in her personal growth. Physically liberated, Rosie feels willing to be vulnerable with Will and confess her love to him.
