91 pages • 3 hours read
Jeff ZentnerGoodbye Days
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 46-49Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 46 Summary
Carver is watching Jesmyn practice her piece for her Julliard audition. She’s ecstatic because she finally saw the right color while playing the song. They take milkshakes to the park and look at the stars.
Chapter 47 Summary
Carver is standing in line at a store. A random funny memory of Sauce Crew pops into his head. He reflects, “Some days—the good ones—this is how they visit me” (391).
Chapter 48 Summary
Chapter 49 Summary
Chapter 49 takes place on the day of the accident, earlier in the day. It’s not clear whether the events described are accurate or a story—an alternative reality, dreamed up by Carver. The boys are dropping off Carver at home after hanging out all day. Mars is driving. They’re goofing off when Carver suddenly tells his friends, “I love you guys” (398). They joke around in response, roughhousing with him, telling him they love him, and blowing him kisses as he gets out of the car. Carver heads inside but turns back one last time to watch them drive away. He says, “I’ve never done that before. I don’t know why I do it. Maybe I wasn’t ready to say goodbye” (399).
Chapters 46-49 Analysis
The final chapters of the book show a transformed Carver. Following the breakthrough emotional moments, he seems to be entering a new normal in his life. His friendship with Jesmyn is thriving, perhaps even developing hints of romance. He’s planning to have a hello day with his parents. He’s no longer haunted by the threat of jail, and most significantly, he’s no longer haunted by his dead friends.
Carver still has “visits” from his friends, but they are less distressing. Funny memories pass in and out of his consciousness, but he doesn’t have flashbacks that lead to panic attacks. The final chapter is written in such a way that it’s not even clear whether it’s a real memory or a modified memory, a fantasy of how Carver wishes his last moments with his friends had been. The point of the anecdote is that Carver tells his friends that he loves them. It seems most likely that this is a fantasy of sorts. There has been no doubt throughout the book that Carver loved his friends and that the boys were all close emotionally. Saying “I love you guys” isn’t the norm for a bunch of teenage boys. In retrospect, maybe it’s something Carver wishes he had said or still had the chance to. With his description of the last afternoon before the accident, he manages to fulfill this wish.
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