63 pages 2 hours read

Jonathan Franzen

Crossroads

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Part 1, Sections 13-19 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “Advent”

Part 1, Section 13 Summary

Walking from the sanctuary to the concert, Becky encounters a man who introduces himself as Gig, the agent who has come to see Tanner’s band. Gig is particularly excited to see Laura, but Becky makes excuses to leave the conversation as he is looking her up and down lasciviously.

She sees Clem on her way to the concert room but is troubled to find that for the first time she is not happy to see him. She is afraid that he will disapprove of her new Christian mentality as the two of them have always sneered at Russ’ religion together. Tanner finds her and says he has broken up with Laura, even though it meant Laura left the concert. He decides Becky is more important to him than the band.

Still suffused with her new religious commitment, Becky feels guilty for having put Tanner in a position that might harm his future. She volunteers to find Laura and bring her back. On her way out, Clem sees her talking to Tanner and asks about them with disapproval in his voice. She lashes out, saying she does not care whether he approves of Tanner, and he might as well just go back to college with Sharon and leave her alone.