Fifteen

Summary

• The narrator's latest book, The Last Front, although initially successful, has now started to fade from the public interest, not having won any awards and dropped off of bestseller lists. As a consequence, the buzz and opportunities that had come with their temporary fame have also dried up
• The narrator is financially secure from their earnings from The Last Front. They have no need to push for the same level of success again, but they admit that they want to return to the literary spotlight
• The protagonist discusses how fleeting fame is in the literary world, describing how authors that were bestsellers just a few years ago are now overlooked in favor of newer, more popular writers
• The protagonist finds themselves jealous of their mentee, Emmy Cho, who has signed with a successful literary agent and seems to be rapidly rising to success. This leads the protagonist to feel determined to produce another successful work
• Brett, a character who seems to be the protagonist's literary agent or editor, pressures the protagonist to write another book while they still have some degree of public attention and influence. However, the protagonist admits to having no solid ideas for a new book
• The protagonist frequently hears the voice of Athena, a co-author for their first book who has since passed away, in their head while trying to write. They feel that Athena's criticisms and taunting hinder their creative process
• The protagonist takes inspiration from a short piece of writing Athena left behind and uses it to create a new story: Mother Witch. The protagonist is satisfied with this story and believes that even Athena would approve of it
• The protagonist recalls a time in university when Athena published a story that was strikingly similar to the protagonist's own experience, leading to speculation if Athena 'stole' the story from them
• The protagonist's new story, Mother Witch, has moderate success. Critics praise it, but it doesn't have high sales. The protagonist does not receive any backlash about any racial misappropriations or plagiarism scandals when they release this book

• The protagonist is a writer who's finally feeling a sense of calm after a perceived period of personal calamity.
• She comments on the stark silence surrounding her, comparing it to the calm before a thunderstorm, but opts to relish the quietude and theorize about future projects instead of worrying about implied impending disaster.
• She imagines her work, "Mother Witch", as a television series akin to "Big Little Lies" or "Little Fires Everywhere", and starts stipulating potential casting choices such as Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, and Anna Kendrick.
• For the first time in a while, she manages to write without being haunted by the ghost of a character, Athena.
• The chapter ominously concludes with the narrator acknowledging that her period of calm is likely not going to last.