Summary

In Chapter 11, Louisa panics upon realizing the painting’s enormous value and chases after Ted, insisting he take it back. Ted explains that the artist intended it for her because she saw the world the way he did. Louisa feels overwhelmed by the responsibility, her homelessness, and the danger of carrying something so valuable. The two argue about how she might sell it and who can help her, but Ted is consumed by grief and frustration. As Louisa desperately asks to accompany him on his journey to bury the artist’s ashes, their chaotic back-and-forth escalates until Ted finally breaks down crying, admitting he cannot take responsibility for her too.

Chapter 12 moves back twenty-five years to explore the origins of Ted, Joar, and the artist’s friendship. As young teens, they spend their summers inseparable, tied together by loneliness, unspoken trauma, and a...