Chapter 28

Summary

• The chapter is set in March 1960 and takes place in an artist studio full of light, with a relaxed and creative ambiance.
• Hazel and Kelty arrive unexpectedly at the studio, where Harry and three other artists are working, and Harry is painting while listening to "Dream Lover" by Bobby Darin.
• After initially dropping his brush in surprise, Harry warmly greets Hazel and Kelty, embracing them and expressing happiness to see them.
• Hazel is internally struck by how much Harry has grown and matured into an attractive man.
• Harry introduces his studio mates Ethan, Marvin, and Dawn to Hazel and Kelty, rekindling past connections.
• The group goes to the nearby Sloop Inn pub to catch up. Tension arises as Hazel is there to ask Harry, her estranged childhood friend, a vital question, not merely to socialize.
• In the pub, conversation leads to the revelation that Harry and Ethan are both single, unattached to family commitments, and fully immersed in their artistic pursuits.
• Hazel learns that Ethan's twin brother, Adam, moved to America ten years prior and is now a successful garment businessman in New York.
• Hazel is eager to ask Harry a pressing question but decides she needs privacy, requesting a moment alone with him by the water.
• On the beach, Harry and Hazel confront their shared past and Harry’s perceived role in a tragic event involving Hazel's sister, Flora.
• Harry assumes Hazel blames him for Flora’s presumed death, an assumption that stuns Hazel as she never held him responsible.
• Hazel reveals her reason for visiting: to inquire if Harry ever knew or revealed the name of a fictional place she created and shared with Flora, called Whisperwood.
• Harry denies ever knowing the story or telling anyone else about it, which leads Hazel to believe Flora might have survived their childhood tragedy and later shared the story herself.
• Hazel and Harry share a poignant moment of mutual relief and unresolved feelings, as Harry emotionally processes the implication that Flora might have lived.
• The chapter concludes with both Harry and Hazel coming to terms with the notion that they have each carried unnecessary guilt over Flora’s fate for many years.