56 pages 1 hour read

Sunburn

Fiction | Novel | Adult

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Chapters 19-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, antigay bias, sexual content, and substance use.

Chapter 19 Summary: “June 1994”

When Martin brought Lucy home, her mother told her to go with him. The girls promised to meet again, but Lucy has not been back to Crossmore in two years. She only thinks of Susannah at night or on hot days, and she has no connection to Crossmore beyond phone calls from her mother. The apartment is small, and she and Martin both get jobs. Lucy has sex with Martin but views it as a favor for him. The sex is not as good as it was with Susannah, and Lucy only tells Martin that she never had sex with a boy before. While Martin has sex with Lucy, she stares at the ceiling and thinks of her family and friends. After sex, Lucy waits for Martin to fall asleep and then cries. They say they love each other, but Lucy does not know how to classify her feelings for Martin. Lucy’s coworker Geraldine and their friends know the truth about Lucy, and a woman named Evelyn Smith adopts Lucy like a “pet.” Evelyn reminds Lucy of Maria, and Martin calls her “quare,” or “queer.”


At work, Geraldine gets close to Lucy, who feels an urge and moves in for a kiss.

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