46 pages • 1 hour read
Taylor Jenkins ReidMaybe in Another Life
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015A 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 10-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary
Ethan and Hannah get cinnamon rolls and continue to catch up. While the eat, they talk about their future together. Both parties make it clear that they are interested in the other romantically.
Chapter 11 Summary
Gabby continues to keep Hannah company at the hospital, even staying there overnight. At night, Hannah meets her night nurse, an attractive man named Henry who has a tattoo that reads “Isabelle.” Making small talk, Hannah discovers that Henry is from Texas. Before Henry leaves, Hannah asks him to put her hair up in its signature high bun, given that she does not have much mobility. As he is leaving, he asks her what her favorite pudding flavor is; unable to choose, Hannah names all of them. Henry promises to bring some by for her later in the evening. The next morning, Gabby wakes up and wonders where the chocolate pudding came from.
Chapter 12 Summary
Hannah is lying on Ethan’s couch after he has gone to work, wondering what she is going to do with her life. She no longer wants to fly by the seat of her pants; she wants to make a concrete life plan and pursue it. More than anything, she wants to plant roots in LA and build a life there. She makes a to-do list that includes buy a car, get a job, and find an apartment.
Chapter 13 Summary
Dr. Winters tells Hannah that she has a long road of recovery ahead of her: The crash severed her femoral artery and broke her right leg and pelvis. Later, Ethan visits her to see how she is doing. Before he leaves, he tells Hannah he would do anything for her. When Gabby comes back into the room, Hannah tries to convince her that she is not upset that Ethan went home with Katherine the other night. After their talk, Gabby leaves to give Hannah time with her family. Hannah’s mother is convinced that Hannah is lucky because things always work out for her. After the awkwardness of being around her family dissipates, Hannah gets emotional and tells her family she wishes they lived closer.
Chapter 14 Summary
Hannah, Mark, and Gabby visit Gabby’s parents for dinner. Carl and Tina are delighted to see Hannah and ask about her plans. Hannah can tell that Mark is intimidated by Carl. Scared that Tina will judge her, Hannah eats all of her vegetables even though she hates vegetables. Before dessert, Hannah ends up vomiting. For dessert, Tina has made cinnamon rolls. Carl asks Hannah a lot of pressing and pointed questions about her life going forward. Later in the evening, he tells her there is a job opening at his pediatrics office and tells her the job is hers if she wants it.
Chapter 15 Summary
When Henry next checks on Hannah, he is surprised to find she is awake. Unable to control herself, she asks if Isabella is his wife; he tells her she was his sister and she passed away many years ago in an accident. Seeing his sister in the hospital was the impetus for his going to nursing school. As they talk, Hannah wonders if he is this friendly with all of his patients.
Chapter 16 Summary
Back at Gabby’s after dinner with Carl and Tina, Hannah feels hopeful about her future. She calls Ethan to tell him she has already been offered a job. Excited by the news, he offers to come pick her up to celebrate. Being with him, Hannah realizes that she likes who she is when she is around him.
In the car, Ethan narrowly avoids running over a dog. They get out of the car and collect the dog, who has no leash or tag, and make plans to take her to the vet in the morning to see if she is chipped. Hannah decides to name her Charlamagne. At Ethan’s, they talk about Hannah’s future. With the dog in the bed with them, they decide not to have sex.
Chapter 17 Summary
Hannah wakes up to find that Carl and Tina have brought her flowers. They talk for a while and then leave, which Hannah appreciates. Later, Hannah discovers that the police have located the woman who hit her with her car. Everyone encourages Hannah to sue the woman.
Sarah leaves for London later in the day, and Hannah is surprised to discover that her parents plan on staying. While she knows her parents mean well, Hannah wants them to leave her alone to heal. When her father asks if she would like them to leave, she feels guilty, but her parents understand. They say their goodbyes, leaving with Hannah a cinnamon roll from their family’s favorite bakery.
Chapter 18 Summary
Hannah sits in Ethan’s apartment with Charlamagne, trying to figure out her route for getting the dog to the vet. Before leaving, Hannah vomits again. At Target, Hannah carries the dog around and buys a leash and a collar. When she afterward tries to board a bus to go to the vet, the driver tells her pets are not allowed. Hannah goes back to Target, buys a backpack, and catches the next bus with the dog inside the bag, a little hole at the top so she can breathe. At the vet, Hannah leaves her credit card so that the doctor will look at Charlamagne sooner.
Chapters 10-18 Analysis
This section of the novel situates readers firmly in the two parallel storylines. While narratively very different from one another, both storylines find Hannah going through a major transformative period in her life. Both waking up in the hospital following a car accident and deciding to pursue a relationship with Ethan only to discover she is pregnant mark new eras in Hannah’s life in which she is outside of her comfort zone. For example, in the Ethan storyline, Hannah makes a concrete life plan. While Hannah is used to flying by the seat of her pants, her resolve to be proactive and make smart decisions for herself indicates she has turned over a new leaf. Similarly, in the storyline that finds Hannah immobile after being hit by a car, Hannah will essentially need to start her life anew, symbolized by her need to learn to walk again as the result of her injuries.
This section also introduces several sets of secondary characters, such as the Hudsons, Henry, and the Martins. With each introduction, readers can begin to get a sense of these people, both as individual characters and in relation to Hannah’s life.
From the moment Hannah’s family is introduced to the narrative, it is clear that she and they are not close. This is evidenced by the awkward atmosphere of the hospital room that develops as the result of Hannah’s family visiting her for the first time since moving abroad. Hannah’s guilt about wanting them to return to London rather than having them stay and care for her throughout her recovery is indicative of their distant relationship.
In terms of narrative structure, the introduction of Hannah’s family is significant, as the chapter in which readers meet the Martins for the first time precedes the chapter in which readers meet Gabby’s family, the Hudsons, for the first time. These adjacent family-oriented chapters are significant because they allow readers to note clear distinctions between Hannah’s relationship with the Hudson family versus her relationship with her own. The juxtaposition of these chapters forces readers to recognize that, given the circumstances—i.e., living with the Hudsons during her formative years and rarely seeing her family—Hannah is closer to Gabby’s family than she is to her own. While Hannah rejects her family’s offer to help her through her recovery in one storyline, she jumps at the chance to work at Carl’s office when he offers her the opportunity.
Though Hannah’s relationship to the two families is very different, the juxtaposition of these chapters allows readers to note the similarities in these relationships, particularly in how the families express their love for Hannah. Notably, in both chapters, both families present Hannah with her favorite treat: cinnamon rolls. That Tina remembers Hannah’s love of cinnamon rolls and goes so far as to bake them personally is an act of love. Similarly, Hannah’s father goes so far as to pick one up from the bakery where he and Hannah used to eat them when she was a child, an act of affection that prompts her to realize that “my parents have always, always loved me” (133).
Notably, this section also marks the introduction of Henry, Hannah’s night nurse and potential love interest. In these chapters, readers and Hannah alike discover information about Henry’s background and personal life. The fact that Hannah wonders at one point if Henry is as friendly with his other patients as he is with her indicates that there may be potential for a romance between them. In addition, the mere fact that Henry appears in multiple chapters throughout this section, all of which see him interacting personably with Hannah, suggests that he will be an important character both in Hannah’s life and in the narrative itself. Additionally, Henry’s appearance in this section of the book—a section that also sees Hannah’s relationship with Ethan take off in the alternate storyline—further invites readers to Henry’s potential as an alternate romantic interest.
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