59 pages • 1 hour read
Tillie ColeA Thousand Broken Pieces
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Shared Secrets and Farewell Skies”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, mental illness, death, and death by suicide.
Cael ignores texts and calls from his parents and Stephan. Travis apologizes for talking a lot, and Cael reassures him, noting Savannah’s influence on his feelings. The sun breaks through, and Cael feels like he is making progress.
The group gets on the bus to go to their last climb, and Savannah sits next to Cael. They talk about the climb, and when Dylan and Travis interrupt, Cael makes a joke about Dylan being annoying. Everyone laughs, and Cael cherishes Savannah’s smile. The next country they will visit is Norway, and Savannah hints that she knows people from Norway.
The group hikes the mountain, and Leo and Mia give a speech afterward, praising the group’s resilience. They compare climbing mountains to getting over grief, and Cael wonders if they are right. Savannah cries and says that Poppy would be proud, and Cael chokes back tears thinking of how supportive Cillian was. Cael and Savannah stand holding hands and staring at each other while the group gets back on the bus.
Cael notices Leo looking at him and wonders when Leo will address how Cael has changed. On their last night in England, the teens gather around a fire, and Travis hands out sodas. Dylan asks if they feel like the trip is helping, and Jade says that she does. Jade explains how her mother and brother died in a car accident, leaving her and her father behind. Cael and Savannah sit holding hands, and Cael notes how Lili and Jade have grown close, just like Dylan and Travis. Lili says that her parents both died in a boating accident, and Savannah shudders. Cael regrets ignoring his parents. Dylan encourages Travis to talk, and Travis explains that he is the sole survivor of a school shooting, in which he saw his friends killed. The group agrees that they want the trip to work so that they can feel happy again. Cael remembers being happy and is thankful for meeting Savannah.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Resurfaced Dreams and Frozen Smiles”
In Oslo, Savannah reads another entry from Poppy’s journal, this one reassuring her that Poppy will remember Ida and Savannah even in death. Savannah takes a picture of the city square and sends it to Rune, and they agree that Poppy is with Savannah as she experiences Rune’s home country.
Lili and Jade pull Savannah to the ice rink in the square, but Savannah struggles to get her footing on the ice. Dylan and Travis join them, but Savannah notices Cael staring at the rink in despair. She joins Cael, who explains that he cannot skate anymore. They get food, and the rest of the teens join them. They have fun, and Savannah wonders if the others feel lighter after sharing their experiences the night before.
That night, Savannah reads another entry in Poppy’s journal, in which Poppy encourages Savannah to find love: Rune kept Poppy alive longer than she would otherwise have lived, and Poppy hopes that Rune has found a way to live without her. Savannah sees Cael approach the ice rink from her window and watches him kneel and touch the ice with his hands. Even though it is after curfew, Savannah goes to join him, holding him while he cries. Cael explains that he and Cillian loved hockey and that it was something that defined them both. He could not go to Harvard after Cillian died, and he cannot bear to skate anymore. Savannah pushes herself to share how she feels trapped in the moment of Poppy’s death. They hold hands, and Savannah imagines Cael kissing her. They agree to put aside their grief in Norway, living like two regular teens on vacation. Mia interrupts them and leads them back to their rooms, and Savannah looks forward to the next day for the first time in four years.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Snow Flutters and Unburdened Laughter”
The group arrives in Tromso, and Savannah is excited about the northern lights. Cael praises her knowledge and notices how she deflects from compliments. Everyone goes to put away their stuff, and Cael feels a loss when Savannah lets go of his hand. Cael avoids his room and thoughts, sitting with Dylan in the common area. Dylan asks about Cael and Savannah, and Cael gets jealous. Dylan says that he is not a threat to Cael, implying something that Cael does not understand.
The teens head to town, pausing on the path to have a snowball fight. Cael protects Savannah, enjoying her laughter, and chases her away from the group when she hits him with a snowball. They tumble together and nearly kiss. The sound of the other teens catching up to them breaks the tension, but Savannah kisses Cael on the cheek.
Mia and Leo ask to speak with Cael and Savannah and explain the danger of investing too much in their relationship and not enough in therapy. Cael says that Savannah has been better for him than therapy, telling the therapists that he told Savannah about Cillian. Leo and Mia are happy for them, but they make the couple promise to obey the rules of the trip. Savannah agrees, but Cael is reluctant.
The group takes a boat to watch whales, and Savannah leans against Cael, periodically exclaiming when whales come to the surface. Cael thinks about that morning’s group therapy session, at which everyone shared what makes them happy. Jade said fall, Lili said Hannukah, Travis said people, Dylan said freedom, and Savannah said family and science. Cael did not answer: Savannah makes him happy, but he is unsure of how to handle their relationship. Savannah asks what Cael is thinking, and he says that he’s thinking about hockey. She says that she would like to watch him play, and Cael allows himself to separate hockey from his memory of Cillian. He is excited at the thought of Savannah watching a game.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Colored Skies and Frozen Kisses”
Savannah calls her parents to tell them that she is going with the group to see the northern lights. They are excited for her and encourage her to call Ida, too. Savannah realizes that Cael never calls home or talks about his family, noting that Leo often calls Cael’s parents to keep them updated.
The group takes a bus out of town to see the lights more clearly, and Savannah studies Cael’s face. Underneath his tattoos and anger, Savannah sees a kind and gentle boy. As they look at the sky, Cael and Savannah hold hands, no longer caring if the others see them, and watch as stars appear, followed by ribbons of green light. The stars help Savannah feel that Poppy is still alive somewhere: When a ribbon of cherry-blossom-pink light appears in the sky, Savannah cries but feels happy, thinking that the pink light is Poppy showing herself. Cael cries, too, and the group heads back to the bus, everyone looking changed by the experience. Savannah tells Poppy about it in her journal, and she sees the pink light in the sky again from her room.
Savannah is still awake and looking at the stars when Cael comes to her door. Feeling energized, they break the curfew and run outside. Cael brings Savannah to the beach, and they kiss. Savannah is enchanted, and they realize that it is snowing. They sit together on the beach, and Cael confesses that Cillian never told him about his mental health struggles. Savannah assures Cael that Cillian loved him. They tell each other that they are good people, and Savannah tells Cael about Poppy’s belief in heaven. Savannah is more interested in science, but she acknowledges that the universe is beyond comprehension. She tells Cael that she thinks Poppy is now a star, and Cael says that it is a beautiful thought. They kiss again, and Savannah feels like they are helping each other through their grief.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Melded Souls and Deep Sorrows”
Back in Oslo, Cael goes to the ice rink at night. He pushes aside memories of Cillian and laces his skates. Getting out on the ice, Cael picks up speed and does laps around the rink, wishing that he had a stick, puck, and goal. He hears laughter and finds Savannah outside the rink, looking proudly at him. He feels proud, too, and he brings Savannah out on the ice. Leo and Mia gave them permission to step out on the last night in Norway, and Cael wonders if they are watching him and Savannah. Cael kisses Savannah and thanks her for helping him rediscover his love of skating.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Golden Sands and Deep Sorrows”
Now in Goa, India, Cael notes that he used to love traveling before Cillian’s death, though usually to colder, snowier places. Cael kisses Savannah, and Leo coughs to get their attention. Mia and Leo explain that where Norway was meant to show the group the value of life, India is a haven where they can rest and address the issue of mortality. Their time in Goa will be spent relaxing, engaging in group sessions, and breaking off into one-on-one therapy. The group meets at the pool, where Cael is awestruck by Savannah in a bathing suit. The teens play and laugh, and Savannah realizes that she has never heard Cael laugh before. Cael reflects on how the group has progressed, glad that he skated and laughed, but he still cannot address his thoughts about Cillian.
Leo tells Cael that he needs to start talking, noting how common suicide is among men. Cael wants to talk, but he feels a block and leaves the room. He runs, thinking of Cillian’s death and feeling like he is running away from his grief.
A therapist, Miriam, tells the group to paint as they think of whomever they lost. Cael falls into a trance while thinking about Cillian. Cael snaps out of his trance to find that he painted a swirling mass of red and black. Leo leads Cael outside to the beach and says that when he was 15, his father died by suicide. Cael asks how Leo overcame his grief, and Leo says that he got tired of feeling sad and angry, adding that he wanted to heal for his wife’s sake. Cael asks why Leo’s father died by suicide, and Leo says that he will never know.
At night, Cael returns to the painting studio to see everyone’s paintings. Most painted pleasant, colorful images, with Savannah’s depicting the blossom grove where Poppy is buried. Savannah joins Cael, and Cael pushes through his grief to tell her about the day Cillian died. Cillian had a game and won the Most Valuable Player award, but he then sent Cael to the store, which Cael says was unusual. On their way back from the store, Stephan and Cael saw Cillian speeding and followed him. Cillian drove straight into a tree; it later emerged that he had disabled the seatbelts and airbags. Cael performed CPR, but he could not resuscitate Cillian. Savannah comforts Cael, who feels that he is overcoming grief.
Chapters 7-12 Analysis
Cole divides the novel into sections based on the group’s travels; in each, the group travels to a new location, learns a lesson about grief, and moves on to the next. Indeed, this is Leo and Mia’s intent, as the activities they have planned reflect the therapeutic process that they want the teens to experience. In England, they climb mountains to learn “resilience,” and Mia tells the group, “To cope with grief, you need resilience” (94), reminding the teens that the trip is not a vacation but hard work. However, Norway does not pose the same kind of work; instead, Leo and Mia encourage the teens to see the value in life and new experiences. Implicitly, this movement from place to place suggests a linear progression toward recovery, even as Mia and Leo explain that each individual has their own process of handling loss.
The first indication that Cael is “falling behind” in that progression comes at the bonfire, where everyone but Cael shares their experience with loss. Reflecting The Power of Human Connection in Recovery, the teens open up to each other, exposing their grief in the hope that the connections they are forging can help them work through their anger and sadness. Nevertheless, Cael agrees with the group that he wants the therapy to work, saying that “one of the many bricks that had built a wall around [his] heart had fallen because of this girl” (102). Cael’s reflection both promises progress and acknowledges that he still has work to do; Savannah has positively impacted his mental health, but the wall around his heart remains in place.
Meanwhile, as Leo and Mia note, relying exclusively on Savannah for healing is unwise. As they explain to the couple, “We are worried that you’ll use each other as a crutch. It isn’t healthy, and no relationship can sustain or survive that” (130). Leo and Mia’s analysis of Cael and Savannah’s relationship foreshadows how Cael and Savannah, while comforting each other, might also hold each other back. Leo and Mia emphasize the need for human connection with both therapists and peers, and their comment about relationships failing to “sustain” or “survive” grief further implies that Cael and Savannah need to confide in more than just each other by reminding them of the possibility that their relationship may end.
This warning provides a lens for understanding Cael and Savannah’s agreement to push aside their grief and enjoy themselves. For Savannah, focusing on enjoying her experiences is rewarding, as when she sees the ribbon of pink light in the northern lights and associates it with Poppy: “It had been temporary, it had been beauty personified, and it had burned its image onto my soul” (142). Instead of burying her in remembered grief, the idea of seeing a physical manifestation of Poppy makes Savannah happy, indicating that she is beginning to separate her positive memories of Poppy from the pain of her loss. Savannah’s painting affirms that focusing on present experiences has had a therapeutic effect, as it features a happy, bright scene of Poppy’s grave.
For Cael, however, immersing himself in the present provides temporary distraction but not lasting healing. At night, he goes to the ice rink and skates and notes that “this moment [isn’t] tied up in [him] and Cillian,” adding, “This joy of skating, of hockey, belonged solely to [him]” (152). In the moment, it seems that Cael’s decision to set aside grief and enjoy himself has helped him: He manages to see skating as something that he can still enjoy after Cillian’s death. It is telling, however, that he frames this milestone in terms of hockey belonging solely to him—that is, not to Cillian. Where Savannah’s engagement with present joys does not necessitate erasing Poppy from her memory—something that would be impossible and therefore counterproductive—Cael’s hinges on denial. Thus, just as Savannah’s painting reveals her improving mental state, Cael’s painting shows that he is not processing his grief in a way that helps him. Indeed, Cael himself is disturbed by his painting: “Blackness. Black swirls laced with red. Red for blood and anger. Black for the loss and the state I’d been left in” (165). At least for Cael, a conflict thus emerges between The Necessity of Emotional Vulnerability and Learning to Love After Loss, as he is using the latter to deflect the former.
