54 pages • 1 hour read
Gillian McDunnHonestly Elliott
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “Split-Down-the-Middle Pie”
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary
Content warning: This section of the guide discusses ableism toward people with ADHD.
While his father Mark and his pregnant stepmother Kate are out, Elliott reflects on how much he enjoys cooking. Elliott proved to his mother that he could cook safely, and he loves the kitchen at his mother’s house, which is vintage and crowded with plants but feels like home. His mother, Nina, is particularly excited about an avocado pit that recently sprouted.
Elliott and his mother moved into a house in downtown Avery after Nina and Mark divorced, and Mark stayed in their old home. Elliott and his neighbor, Malcolm, became best friends. Malcolm accepts Elliott, despite Elliott’s dislike of sports and tendency to make mistakes, which he attributes to his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. His ADHD makes it difficult for him to focus, but he finds it easy to focus in the kitchen. One of Malcolm’s mothers, Janice, taught Elliott how to cook. Their kitchen is well stocked because of Janice’s love of cooking and is well organized because Grace, Malcolm’s other mother, is a neat minimalist. Malcolm and his mothers are currently traveling the country in an RV, and Elliott has recently learned that they are staying in the RV for another year.
Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary
After Kate and Mark married, Kate started redecorating the house, painting the rooms in neutral tones and displaying monogrammed decorations. She re-did Elliott’s room in a sailboat theme, and Elliott got in trouble with Mark for not being grateful for Kate’s efforts. However, Elliott did like one decoration that had his initials—EQS—monogrammed on it; he shares a unique middle name with Mark, Quigley, which makes him feel like they have a special bond. Kate also redecorated the kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with marble counters, a high-end stove, and professional-grade cookware. It reminds Elliott of the kitchens on his favorite show, Cheftastic! featuring chef Griffon Connor, a verbally abusive chef with multiple television shows. Mark and Kate’s kitchen is seldom used, and Elliott is not allowed to cook there.
A rift has formed between Elliott and Mark, partly because Mark has changed since marrying Kate—he has started eating more healthily and exercising and has changed the way he does his hair. The rift also formed partly because Elliott has recently made two big mistakes—he almost failed the first part of sixth grade, and the other mistake, “The Incident,” he does not talk about. It later turns out that The Incident involved Elliott breaking a window with a baseball after finding out that Kate was pregnant. Elliott looks around the kitchen and gets inspired to make a dish from the ingredients in the fridge and pantry. He decides to cook a meal and take part of it back to his mom’s house, so that even though they won’t all be eating together, the two sides of his family will be eating the same food.
Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary
Elliott is messy but hygienic, and he is careful to wash his hands and glasses before cooking. He collects his ingredients and prepares them, so they are ready when he needs them. He doesn’t measure anything or use recipes because Griffin Connor rejects those cooking practices. Mark is bothered by the fact that Elliott can focus while cooking but not while in school. At school, Elliott has to sit still, which makes it difficult for him to focus. Elliott has been saving his money all year long to pay his fees for an expensive cooking summer camp in Avery.
A while back, Elliott had tried to cook for Kate and Mark, but Kate hovered over him and impeded his process, was anxious about Elliott making messes, and would not eat most of the food. Her rejection of his cooking hurt Elliott deeply; he explains, “When I make food for someone, it’s basically my heart right there on the plate” (22). As he is finishing cooking, Mark and Kate return home, and they are upset when they discover Elliott in the kitchen. Elliott shows them the noodle dish and says that he will clean the kitchen after they try the food. Mark says Elliott’s name, and Elliott can hear the disappointment in his voice.
Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary
Kate and Mark remind Elliott that he isn’t allowed to use the kitchen because it isn’t safe, and Mark is upset because Elliott used Kate’s antique heirloom dishes to hold ingredients. Kate starts to clean and says that marble counters stain quickly, noting that they forgot to tell Elliott that. Elliott apologizes, saying that he wanted to help and surprise them; he wants to say that he was excited that they would all be eating the same food, but he chooses not to since his dad is not paying attention to him. Mark has an associate coming to the house, so he is focused on cleaning the kitchen. He sends Elliott to get his bag, and Elliott panics and rushes because he forgot to pack and doesn’t want to get in more trouble. Mark calls for Elliott to come down, and Elliott grabs his graphic novel and looks at the decoration with his initials, which makes him feel like their shared middle name is the only thing he and his father have in common.
When Elliott gets downstairs, Mark and Kate have Elliott’s food in a covered dish for him to take home, but Kate saved a little to try later because the food looked so good. Kate says that she will see Elliott on Tuesday while holding her belly. This makes Elliott uncomfortable because he doesn’t like to think about the baby Mark and Kate are having.
Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary
Elliott almost spills the noodles on Mark in Mark’s clean luxury vehicle, but Mark catches the bowl. As they drive, Mark starts in on a father-son chat. He has been initiating many similar conversations, and they have become more intense, making Elliott think that Mark is talking to Elliott as much as possible now because he won’t be able to when the baby is born.
Mark orders Elliott to stop fidgeting, but Elliot can’t help it. Then, Mark brings up school. Last week, Elliott missed another math assignment. Mark complains that Elliott is smart but just not applying himself, and he says that when he was in sixth grade, he had all As and participated in four sports. The comparison makes Elliott feel much worse. Mark is concerned that Elliott has been disconnected and uninvolved since Malcolm left. Elliott argues that he has been learning from Cheftastic!, but Mark disapproves of that show. When Elliott brings up camp, Mark starts talking again, but Elliott can’t focus on what he is saying. Instead, Elliott focuses on how different he is from his father and on the idea that the new baby will be more like Mark, which makes him scared.
They arrive at Nina’s house, and she is outside gardening. She goes inside to get a baby gift for Mark and Kate and asks about Kate. Uncomfortable, Elliott goes inside, relieved to be home.
Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary
Elliott compares his mother’s and father’s homes, and he prefers his mother’s warmer, cozier house, which is colorful and filled with personal items. He stops to tend his guinea pigs, Denver and Oliver, then goes to the kitchen and sees a new postcard from Malcolm. Mark leaves and Nina comes into the kitchen, hugging Elliott and telling him that he got taller. She asks how the weekend went, and Elliott says that it was typical; Mark tried to get him to do things that he didn’t want to do. When Nina points out that Mark was just trying to connect with him, Elliott argues that he tried to connect by cooking.
They eat the noodles, which are delicious, then Nina tells Elliott that Mark stayed to talk to her because he wants Elliott to pay him back $600 for the damage caused by The Incident. For a moment, he wonders where he would get that kind of money, then he realizes that Mark wants the money Elliott has saved up for his cooking camp. Nina supports Mark’s request, suggesting that it is fair and a good lesson, although she admits that she would not do the same. Elliott is too upset to cry, and he tries hard but fails to push thoughts of The Incident out of his mind. Elliott plans to come up with a different way to pay Mark back.
Part 1 Analysis
Honestly Elliott is a novel written for middle-grade readers, and as such, it features a sixth grader, Elliott—both the narrator and the protagonist—who is experiencing multiple conflicts. Gillian McDunn hence accommodates her intended young readership, aiming to establish an accessible and intimate tone. The book is divided into four parts, with Part 1 generating exposition: It introduces the characters and themes, develops the context for the plot, and establishes the initial conflicts Elliott faces.
As the narrator and protagonist, Elliott is the first character who appears, and he introduces himself through references to his favorite activity, cooking: “If you saw me in the kitchen, you would think that I’m the kind of person who has it all together” (3). This introduction serves several purposes. First, it acts as a hook by using an unique bit of information to characterize the protagonist. The line uses subtle irony through the word choices, which suggest that Elliott does not have it “all together” outside of the kitchen. It also highlights Elliott’s lack of self-acceptance. Elliott does not appear to accept himself, and this is exacerbated by his father’s nagging and rejection of Elliott’s interests. By presenting himself through his strength, he shows that he wants to make a good impression, and by hinting toward his struggles, this introduces the several conflicts that Elliott faces: his social isolation, his struggles with accepting his ADHD, the strained relationship he has with his father and stepmother, and his insecurity about his future brother.
Elliott’s conflicts establish the most prominent themes. Through comparing his experience in the kitchen with the rest of his life, Elliott introduces his ADHD and The Challenges and Triumphs of Living with ADHD, with his talent for cooking represented as a triumph and his difficulties with school, socializing, and organization demonstrating the challenges of being neurodivergent in an ableist society. The Impact of Family Dynamics and Divorce on Children is portrayed through Elliott’s descriptions of his parents and their houses and through Elliott’s relatively vague references to his half-brother. Elliott’s isolation—his lack of friends at school and Malcolm’s absence—implicitly introduces The Power of Friendship and Mutual Support by illustrating the impacts of not having friendship. The numerous conflicts generate suspense regarding how they will be solved.
McDunn represents blended families throughout the text. Elliott lives primarily with his mother, Nina, and visits his father Mark and stepmother Kate. While he has rooms in both homes, Elliott feels a stronger connection to Nina’s house, which is supported through the setting; Mark’s house is formal and rigid, while Nina’s is personal and warm. Much of Elliott’s character arc is driven by his negative views about his family. He resents having a divided family, though he does like his stepmother, and he fears that he will be replaced by Mark and Kate’s new baby. Over the course of the text, Elliott learns to accept his family how it is, sending the positive message that all families are valid.
Mark is the second-most dynamic character in the story. Early in the text, Mark is characterized as rigid and strict with unrealistic demands, presented through his disapproval and his frequent lectures and unwanted advice. Mark’s apparent rigidity is contradicted by his willingness to adapt and change. This is highlighted through his drastic changes following his union with Kate; where Mark used to eat processed and junk foods and be “regular-looking,” he is now following a healthier lifestyle: “That Dad is long gone. Now he lifts weights and goes for runs and uses gel that makes his hair crunchy” (14). While Mark’s changes contribute to the strained relationship between him and Elliott, they also demonstrate that Mark is willing to change for the people he loves. He adapts his lifestyle to match Kate’s, and he supports Kate’s efforts to put her personal touches on their home. However, this intensifies the discord between Mark and Elliott, as, from Elliott’s perspective, Mark is prioritizing Kate.
Nina is another important character introduced early in the text, and she is juxtaposed with Mark. Unlike Mark, who lectures Elliott, rejects his interests, and encourages Elliott to change, Nina accepts Elliott, allowing him to cook and accommodating his ADHD-related traits. Not only is Nina accepting of Elliott, but she also accepts and accommodates Mark’s parenting style by reinforcing Mark’s request that Elliott pay back the money, telling Elliott, “As your parents, it’s our responsibility to get you ready for the real world—Dad and I both take that seriously” (44). This demonstrates that Nina prioritizes creating a respectful co-parenting atmosphere, contributing to the text’s exploration of The Impact of Family Dynamics and Divorce on Children by showing that divorce does not need to result in unhappiness or instability. She also provides Elliott with a constant source of stability and acceptance, which serves the text by allowing Elliott to deal with the numerous difficult conflicts he is facing.
