Summary:

In 1989, Louisa and her husband of five years Hugh visit her mother in Rhode Island. One day all three of them have lunch on the beach and her mother tries to convince the two of them to have kids and not wait for “the right moment”. Louisa tries to change the subject but her mother brings it up again. Two years ago Louisa had been pregnant but before even telling anyone she miscarried. While cleaning her stuff, Louisa found a box with letters from her best friend Eliza that were over 10 years old. They describe Eliza’s summer romance with a man named Jeremy. Looking at the letters made her realize that her marriage with Hugh was in “trouble”.  Seeing Hugh asleep in the bedroom made her realize why she wanted to keep the letters.

In 1990, the narrative voice changes from Louisa to Clem. Clem wakes up from a coma and cannot remember anything about the last five weeks. She remembers Jerry and their talk about Jerry wanting to have kids. She reflects back to how she met Jerry, the last winter in Maine and how she says that “I never wanted a guy the way I wanted Jerry, almost the minute I met him”. She explains how she was crazy and jealous of everything he touched. By sitting in her bed at the hospital, she reflected back to the times she had been at the hospital. Age 1: she bit through her tongue rolling off the table, Age 2: dropped the heavy stone head on her right foot, Age 4: bitten by a rat in the barn, 7: allergic reaction to blue cheese dip, 10:stunge and had her ears and eyes swollen. Age 15:broke her nose diving in the pool, age 22: racing on a bike when a station wagon sideswiped her and left a foot long gash, 22 again: ectopic pregnancy, Age 23: became pregnant again.

Quote:

"As I read them, I realize why it thrilled me so much that summer to get them. They are love letters: letters all about love, at least how it begins," (Glass, 133)

Reflection:

I chose this quote because it expresses Louisa’s thoughts and feelings towards her husband Hugh. She questions their marriage and she can’t figure out what is keeping them together. She goes through the letters of her best friend Eliza and reads all about love and her summer romance. I think that It reminds her of what love should feel like and that’s why she kept the letters. To remind herself of love and she doesn’t feel like it exists between her and Hugh.