38 pages 1 hour read

P. D. James

The Children of Men

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992

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Book 2, Chapters 31-33Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 2: “Alpha, October 2021”

Book 2, Chapter 31 Summary

The group is near Wychwood Forest, which Theo knows quite well. There is a shed somewhere nearby, and he doesn’t think Xan will think to search it. Julian is having contractions as they enter the forest. On the radio, they hear a report about Theo and two accomplices tying up the elderly couple and taking their car; the wife was dead when the couple was found. Rolf must have reached Xan, which is how the reporter knows there are three of them. Miriam tells Theo not to feel guilty—there is no reason to think he killed the woman. Theo is consumed with shame at having enjoyed his power over the elderly couple.

They push the car into the lake, and Theo throws his diary into the water. He imagines the three of them in the back of the car, drowning as it sinks. They hear a helicopter as they draw near the shed.

Book 2, Chapter 32 Summary

They light a small fire and Theo watches Julian. He isn’t sure if he loves her, but he knows he would die for her as he holds her hand. After a relatively uncomplicated labor, Julian gives birth to a boy.