49 pages 1 hour read

April Henry

The Girl I Used to Be

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016

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Chapters 16-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 16 Summary: “Turn the Key”

Olivia is hesitant about using her new key to open the front door of her grandmother’s house. As she stands there, her previous boss calls her. He tries to talk her out of moving to Medford but then says he gave a glowing reference about her to the local store. Olivia opens the door and expects a flood of memories, but nothing in the house sparks anything. She walks through the house and is disappointed that it’s only vaguely familiar.

She cries, thinking she’s stupid to have done this and expected anything, but then stumbles upon the pencil lines on the wall that her grandmother used to track her height. That helps trigger her memory, and she begins to remember what the house used to look like. Duncan arrives outside the house.

Chapter 17 Summary: “Broken-Open Infinity”

Olivia tells Duncan that she’s renting the house and has a new job at Fred Meyer; Duncan tells her that his mother also works there. After some small talk, Duncan asks to see Olivia’s hand. She shows it to him. He points out a scar on her palm and asks if she remembers how she got it or who she was with. Olivia says no.