53 pages • 1 hour read
Colleen HooverAll Your Perfects
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A 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 6-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary: “Now”
Ava moves to Europe, but first gifts Quinn with an infertility tea that Quinn finds too disgusting to drink. She decides to “try” for one or two more months before telling Graham that she’s finished trying and “really am ready to open that wooden box on my bookshelf” (63).
Quinn dresses provocatively—wearing only one of Graham’s t-shirts—and waits on the kitchen counter for him to get home from work. Graham is excited and carries her to the bedroom to make love. Quinn is detached from the act; she used to relish her sex life, but after years of being disappointed by her lack of pregnancy, she’s begun to associate sex with this devastation. She hopes Graham will be quick with the act; when he withdraws from her body and moves toward performing oral sex, Quinn stops him and tells him that she’s ovulating.
Graham is angry and hurt, and says he’s “tired of fucking for the sake of science” (66). Quinn soothes him and coaxes him into resuming, but when Graham ejaculates, he withdraws and spills onto her back instead of inside of her. She is humiliated and distraught that he’s taken the hope out of the situation. Quinn begins sobbing. Graham looks torn between anger and sympathy, but when Quinn can’t disprove his assumption that she only wanted to have sex for the purpose of conceiving, he leaves. He punches the closed door from the other side.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Then”
Quinn goes on a second date with a man named Jason, who she thinks her mother would like more than she does. At the restaurant, she spots Graham, who is also on a date. It has been six months since they last saw each other. They meet by the bathroom, and Quinn is surprised to discover that their physical chemistry is still strong. Graham asks why she never called him, and Quinn says she’s only now getting around to her rebound guy. He says his rebound “was two girls ago” (73). Quinn thinks they’re done talking and goes to the bathroom, but Graham is still waiting when she exits. He asks how she is; she says she’s okay, albeit with lingering trust issues. Quinn says she hopes the new girl will help Graham get over Sasha, but Graham says he was over Sasha “the moment I met you” (75). They return to their tables, where Graham kisses his date on the side of her head. Quinn kisses Jason on the mouth and then says she’s ready to leave.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Now”
Ava and Quinn talk every day, despite Ava now living in Europe. The former discovered that she was pregnant and told Avril first in an effort to strategize how to avoid hurting Quinn with the news. Quinn is both happy for her sister and crushed by her own infertility. However, she’s most hurt that Ava thought she would react badly to the news; she congratulates her sister and then hangs up. Quinn immediately realizes that she’s being selfish, so she calls her sister to apologize; this smooths things over, and they talk about baby names and other pregnancy things. Quinn tells Ava that her and Graham’s most recent adoption application was rejected. Ava asks about private adoption, but Quinn says it’s too expensive. The former suggests she ask their mother for money, but Quinn doesn’t feel comfortable owing Avril.
Graham comes home, and Quinn tells him that Ava is pregnant. He seems genuinely happy for Ava, but then visibly dims as he thinks about how the news may hurt Quinn. Graham makes dinner and then asks about the adoption agency. Quinn tells him that they were rejected last week; Graham asks why she didn’t tell him then. She doesn’t have an answer. Graham apologizes, and Quinn knows he’s apologizing for the conviction in his past that makes them ineligible for adoption. Her thoughts hint at the conviction being related to a drinking and driving accident; however, she doesn’t blame him. Graham suggests that they divorce so Quinn can apply to adoption agencies as a single woman. Quinn doesn’t agree with this idea, as she’d be a single mother and her income isn’t high enough alone. She can tell Graham is about to suggest they borrow money from Avril, so she tells him that she doesn’t want to. Graham tells her about a “miracle” conception he heard about at work. Quinn is surprised to hear that Graham talks about their infertility issues at work. Graham asks if Quinn accepts that they’ll never be parents; Quinn drops the plate she’s washing and cries. Graham makes some comforting gestures and then leaves because he knows Quinn prefers to be alone with her grief.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Then”
Quinn takes Jason home and makes out with him in her bed. She would not have invited him back if she hadn’t seen Graham, but seeing him made her feel regret for not calling before. Jason asks if Quinn has condoms; she lies and says “no.” She feels guilty because he talks about “next time,” and she knows she never wants to see him again. The doorbell rings; it’s Graham. Quinn is surprised to see him, but he thought they’d made a silent agreement to meet at her apartment later. She tells Graham to come back in 15 minutes so she can get rid of Jason, but Jason overhears the conversation and leaves.
Graham sees his original post-it note is still by the door and says he’ll ensure Quinn has his number memorized before he leaves in the morning. Quinn is aroused by his confidence, but says she wants to brush her teeth before kissing him since she was just kissing another man. Graham follows her into the bathroom and kisses her as soon as she’s done brushing. Graham says they’re not going to have sex yet; Quinn asks if they’re just going to talk all night and suggests that if they talk too much, the sex won’t be as satisfying because they’ll find nitpicks about each other. He counters this by saying they might discover that they’re soulmates, enhancing their physical chemistry. The pair talk about their likes and dislikes. Graham seems confident that they’re going to fall in love, but offers to “pretend for a few more months that we aren’t soul mates” if it makes Quinn more comfortable (97). He asks her for the day’s date; it’s August 8. He says he wants Quinn to always remember the date the universe brought them back together. They go to bed to sleep; Graham says he thought she was the one that got away and asks her not to be. They kiss, and Quinn thinks it’s a perfect moment.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Now”
Quinn and Graham spend a Sunday with Graham’s family at his parents’ house. The former loves spending time with Graham’s family because it makes it easier to be happy and physically affectionate with Graham. The fact that they are around other people means they can’t have sex, so Quinn is able to simply enjoy their physical closeness.
Quinn goes to the bathroom; Graham follows her and kisses her neck. He lifts the front of her dress and strokes her intimately while watching her in the mirror. It’s been a month and a half since their last sexual encounter, the longest gap they’ve had. Quinn orgasms. The couple’s recent lack of sex and removal of pressure to conceive allow her to experience the sensation intensely, and she is shaken by it. As they dance in the kitchen later, Graham’s pregnant sister Caroline finds them and says she can’t imagine how much they must touch each other in private if they’re this affectionate in public. Quinn can tell this affects Graham because she avoids him at home. On the way home, she says she has a migraine headache so she can go to bed and be left alone.
Chapters 6-10 Analysis
These chapters continue to explore the differences between the current state of Quinn and Graham’s relationship and their former comfortable, loving dynamic. In the earlier days of their relationship, Quinn and Graham had a passionate love life. The “Then” and “Now” structure of the novel again allows Hoover to draw dramatic contrasts between the past and present—especially the ways in which love translates (and doesn’t translate) to physicality. The novel describes the Quinn and Graham of “Now” as physical in their affection. Some of this physicality is tied to the unusual circumstances that led to their first meeting, their physical attraction to each other, and the intense emotions that come with a new relationship. In the present, Quinn’s experience of sex has become so tied to her infertility that she is unable to enjoy lovemaking for its own sake. The novel demonstrates how this trauma has also affected Graham, who initially prioritizes oral sex (prioritizing Quinn’s pleasure) to help Quinn overcome her self-destructive thoughts, but refuses to ejaculate inside of her out of spite. Hoover’s depiction of Graham subverts the common trope of men being motivated solely by sex; the couple’s sex life is physically intact, but Graham misses his wife’s emotional involvement (ultimately acting out of hurt as much as anger). This hurt will compel his actions later in the novel.
Graham’s faith in his relationship comes across in both the past and present. “Then” Graham is quick to call Quinn his soulmate and is playfully convinced that they will be together for the rest of their lives. “Now” Graham is clearly hurt by his relationship’s current state and Quinn’s avoidance, but his faith seems to have survived and he works to accommodate Quinn’s grief. This trait highlights the theme of Love and the Strength of Commitment Through Difficult Times. Though Quinn and Graham promise to support each other through “Category 5” moments, their current difficulty has stretched for years. To follow the novel’s metaphor, the couple is weathering not just a hurricane, but hurricane season. In many ways, Quinn seems to have given up on her relationship and is waiting for Graham to leave and start a new life with someone who can give him children. She is anticipating the loss by withdrawing, physically and emotionally, from Graham, something he finds upsetting. It is his commitment to the relationship, his willingness to accommodate her need for space, and his acceptance of the ways their interactions have changed that have sustained the relationship.
These chapters also summarize Quinn and Graham’s attempts to have children, dismissing IVF, surrogacy, and adoption as viable or affordable options. Quinn’s encounters with well-meaning but insensitive people who question her lack of children represent the experiences many couples have while experiencing infertility: Quinn’s grief and hurt at such questions highlight the damage that well-intentioned ignorance can cause to someone already experiencing complex feelings about having children. The “Then” and “Now” structure of the novel allows Hoover to show the profound effects that this struggle has had on Quinn over the years. “Then” Quinn is optimistic and confident, while “Now” Quinn has been beaten down by years of infertility, as well as the callous questioning of strangers and acquaintances. The former is nearly unrecognizable in the latter, capturing the physical and emotional toll of trauma.
Quinn and Graham’s discussion of their future hints at some of the communication problems that await them. The former is quickly convinced that they’re soulmates, but exercises patience to make the latter feel better. Quinn is less open than Graham when it comes to their feelings. Early on, she tells Graham that he’s “coming on too strong,” and when he says he was worried she’d be the one who got away, she replies “I still could be”—showing that she is less comfortable with emotional vulnerability than Graham (99). This hesitation foreshadows Quinn’s lack of communication as a result of her depression and grief.
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By Colleen Hoover
