53 pages • 1-hour read
These Summer Storms
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Chapters 10-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and sexual content.
Chapter 10 Summary
Jack swims to meet Alice on shore, furious about her reckless jump off the moving boat. Alice commends his sailing skills. Jack reminds her that she should be more careful, and she notes that she doesn’t hate it when he tells her what to do. Jack explains that, though he worked for Storm Inc. for five years, he worked for Franklin longer and had a debt to pay. He assures Alice that he isn’t her “enemy” and insists that she admit the money means something to her. Alice says that when she and her father parted ways, he stopped providing financial support, and she has managed on her own since, happily and successfully. However, with the money, he also removed her access to her family, which was more hurtful. She knows her siblings resent her because she was the only one who left successfully and can survive on her own. She wishes they wanted her to stay because they love her, but she knows the truth: They need her for their self-preservation.
Jack jokes that Alice must have brought many men to this secluded island over the years. The truth is that though she has been here a lot, she was always alone. The beach is accessible only at low tide and often reveals beautiful sea treasures. Once, when she wasn’t yet 10, Franklin left her there at low tide, forcing her to find the way to safety, which required a treacherous scramble up a stone facade. Jack finds the story insane, but Alice sees it as one of her finest moments because when she emerged safely back at the house, she knew her father was proud of her.
Alice senses the heat building between them, and Jack moves closer, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. They kiss passionately as Jack lifts her up and effortlessly carries her to the cliffside, exploring her body with his hands. “Future Alice” knows this is a bad decision, but she doesn’t care and enjoys the moment. However, Jack pulls away, claiming that he shouldn’t have kissed her. Alice refuses to let him apologize and awkwardly begins climbing the cliff to make her way back to the house, where she knows everyone will be full of questions.
Chapter 11 Summary
The next day, which is the day before the memorial celebration, Alice wakes up early to paint the sunrise. Emily stops by her room, surprised to see her painting. They reminisce about how Emily used to aggravate Alice while she was painting by trying to mix the paint. The tone shifts, and Emily says she isn’t Alice’s “enemy” and misses the time when they were a “team.”
The secret service is coming to do a security sweep of the island, and Elisabeth calls a “family meeting” in Franklin’s office to warn the children not to cause drama and embarrass her in front of the guests. Tony is outside the office, and Alice notices how he dresses differently now that he’s no longer in Franklin’s service. Seeing her father’s Picasso reminds Alice of the life she built apart from her family as an art teacher and moderately successful New York artist, painting under the name “Alice Foss.” Claudia brings Elisabeth tea, and she calls her the “best of the in-laws” (173), which raises eyebrows across the room. Claudia exits, and Sila arrives just in time for Sam’s silent hours to begin, so he uses his phone to communicate. Sam demands to know if Greta has completed her task, and Greta assumes Alice told him. Sila reveals that they found Greta’s letter and feel that Greta should get on with it, since they’re being so diligent in completing their list of tasks.
Jack and Sila turn on Alice, revealing her sailing trip with Jack the previous day. Elisabeth is appalled, demanding to know why she was with Jack. Alice stumbles and lies, saying that there’s nothing between them, when everyone was suspecting not a relationship but that she was “working with” Jack against them. Sam worries that Jack is getting money, too. Elisabeth demands that Greta end her “adventure” with Tony and that Alice stay away from Jack. She wants them to appear as a “functioning family” to the public, though she notes that Alice is no longer part of their family. What stings isn’t her mother’s words but her siblings’ complete silence afterward. Alice determines that she has no reason for her to remain except for Greta’s pleading that she stay.
Chapter 12 Summary
Claudia put mushrooms in Elisabeth’s tea, and Elisabeth is high. Alice finds it comical, but Emily and Claudia’s actions horrify Sam and Greta, as they must figure out what to do with their mother while the Secret Service sweeps the island. Jack suggests that Emily take care of Elisabeth, and he’ll handle the Secret Service. The siblings argue about what to do, and Elisabeth says that hearing her children argue makes her regret having kids, something she has told them before. Greta steps in to work with the Secret Service, and Jack promises to take care of Elisabeth.
Later, Jack apologizes to Alice for what happened on the beach the previous day. Despite being strongly attracted to him in every way, Alice resolves to stay away from him. She says he reminds her of her father, yet some elements of his personality remain a mystery, which worries her. She says, “I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop […] I’m afraid you might be it” (195). Jack contends that he isn’t the “villain” and she can trust him, but Alice isn’t so sure.
Interlude 2 Summary: “Sam”
Sam, Sila, Saoirse, and Oliver are in the lighthouse working on their task list. Sam cleans the island’s ancient fog bell, which was special to his father. He explains to his kids how the bell works, and they stop complaining, finding it genuinely interesting. The Secret Service begins arriving via helicopter, and the kids run to sit under Franklin’s favorite tree with Elisabeth and watch the helicopters arrive.
Sila is furious with Sam for not insisting that he be the one to interact with the Secret Service, seeing it as unbecoming of the future CEO of Storm Inc. Sam has lost the energy to argue with Sila, as he knows their marriage was a mistake from the beginning. They only got married because she was pregnant with Saoirse, and Franklin forced him to marry her to hasten his maturity. Sam never could measure up to his father’s expectations, and he knows that Jack is the son Franklin wished he had. Franklin always supported Sam and his family financially, primarily because of the children, but on the Fourth of July, he told Sam he was cutting him off. Sam reveals to Sila that he’ll never be CEO. She storms off, and Sam asks her if she’s leaving him for good this time. She isn’t going because she needs him to win, and she needs his money. Sila threatens to take the children if Sam doesn’t win the game. Though Sam doesn’t love Sila, and never has, he cares deeply for his kids and will do anything to secure their future.
Chapter 13 Summary
On the day of the memorial, the four Storm siblings watch as the high-profile guests arrive. They recognize a few of the guests, wondering how many their father knew. “Uncle Mike” and his second wife, Twyla, arrive. Emily invited them, despite her mother’s protest, insisting that their father would want them there. Mrs. Austin comes, and Sam and Greta recount how their mom doesn’t like her because she flirted with Franklin, while Emily wonders if her father ever had affairs. Alice knows her parents’ marriage wasn’t perfect, but she assures Emily that something about them “worked” and that Franklin was faithful despite rumors. Greta and Sam begin arguing, and it escalates when Alice reminds them that they’re being watched. She sees Jack watching them, looking very handsome, and knows he saw their fight.
Roxanne and Gabi arrive, and Alice is thankful for their support. Emily mentions Jack, whom she calls “Alice’s sailing partner,” and Gabi, with raised eyebrows, wants to know more. Alice admits that he’s handsome, just as Jack walks up and introduces himself to Gabi and Roxanne.
Chapters 10-13 Analysis
Alice’s decision to jump off the sailboat and swim to the private cove is a symbolic act of reclaiming agency. After discovering the layers of manipulation surrounding her, this physical break from the boat signifies a refusal to remain passive or controlled. Her father’s boat symbolizes The Effects of Control and Manipulation. By leaping from the boat into open water, Alice enacts a rejection of his boundaries. The cove represents a rare place of solitude on the family compound. The physical effort Jack makes to reach Alice mirrors her act of autonomy, revealing a desire to shed the artifice of their orchestrated connection. Their kiss on the beach isn’t only romantic but existentially complicated, as they’ve been navigating roles that someone else constructed and are finally encountering each other outside that framework. On the beach, away from her family, they’re momentarily just two people. When Jack touches her, Alice’s “clear-mindedness [is] lost at sea” (163). The kiss happens in the aftermath of deception, at the edge of a space that Alice tried to claim for herself, causing her doubt as she considers whether Jack’s attention is a step toward emotional honesty or another layer of manipulation. The scene illustrates the difficulty Alice faces in fully separating desire from power, love from legacy, and truth from performance.
Sam’s interlude thematically examines Familial Identity Versus Personal Autonomy through his experience as an only son who hasn’t lived up to Franklin’s expectations. The fog bell symbolizes clarity amid confusion and communication in darkness, reflecting Alice and her siblings’ struggle to connect after their father’s death. Sam’s cleaning the bell highlights his respect for Storm Island’s history and his father’s memory. His confrontation with Sila about being fired reveals that he’s not just prideful but struggles with feelings of betrayal after inheriting a role he didn’t earn. His father’s firing, which he saw as a betrayal, was a form of tough love that pushed him toward independence. Sam hasn’t fully taken responsibility for his life; his defensive tone reflects shame over his dependency. Though he wants to see the dismissal as unfair, he knows that it was justified.
The siblings’ frequent arguments expose deep family fractures, further developing the theme of The Need to Reckon With Family History. Their inability to communicate without conflict highlights an upbringing marked by control, secrecy, favoritism, and resentment. Each sibling has a different version of the story, causing clashes, old rivalries, perceived betrayals, and insecurities to resurface. Instead of uniting after their father’s death, they fall back into old roles (scapegoat, golden child, peacekeeper, rebel), showing how little has changed over time. Alice laments, “What was the point in staying? It wasn’t for mourning or shared grief” (180). Their father’s manipulations pitted them against each other, and now, without a leader, tension rises, especially with Alice as executor. These fights highlight the difficulty of reconciling past harm in a family where love was conditional and trust was weaponized. Greed and self-preservation hinder honest communication, turning their reunion into a battleground rather than a peaceful memorial.
The sisters-in-law offer a compelling contrast that deepens the emotional and psychological texture of the family dynamic. Their presence reveals the fractures within the sibling relationships from the perspective of outsiders who are nonetheless deeply entangled in the family’s fortunes. Sila is ambitious and fiercely aligned with her husband’s interests. She’s acutely aware of appearances and legacy, and her interactions are often strategic. She has learned how to survive in a patriarchal family by aligning herself with power, first through her father-in-law and then through her husband. Her obsession with Sam winning highlights how she has internalized the family’s transactional nature. She often plays the long game, calculating her moves, and she’s invested in maintaining her place within the family hierarchy, especially with the children’s inheritance at stake.
Claudia is more emotionally transparent and grounded, less entangled in the family’s power dynamics despite marrying into it. She’s honest, doesn’t play games, sees the fractures among siblings, and resists toxic norms. Her drugging Elisabeth shows her understanding of disrupting control structures, especially those Elisabeth maintains for appearances. Unlike Sila, who is calculating, Claudia is direct; Sila seeks security and control, while Claudia is driven by decency and emotional clarity. These differences illustrate how women navigate family power, some conforming and others resisting, underscoring the impact of family legacy on all parties.
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