Summary

Chapter 21 begins with Flora and Richard visiting the beach after collecting Gil’s car. Richard feels uncomfortable revealing the skeleton Flora drew on him, so Flora swims in the sea alone. As she swims, Flora reflects on everything Ingrid taught her about the sea as a child. She notes how in the sea, she feels transformed from a human breathing air to an underwater creature. When she returns to land, Richard compliments Flora on her swimming. She explains that Ingrid was an exceptionally strong swimmer, and therefore could not have drowned. She resents the newspapers for referring to Ingrid as a “novelist’s wife”. Flora remembers browsing the village shop for ice cream shortly after Ingrid’s disappearance and hearing tourists discuss Ingrid’s drowning. They fail to remember any specific details, and Flora struggles to restrain herself from setting them straight. Richard proceeds...