47 pages • 1 hour read
Marta MolnarThe Secret Life of Sunflowers
Fiction | Novel | Adult | 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.
Chapters 9-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary
Emsley wakes in her grandmother’s house and heads to the third floor to begin clearing out her studio. She is startled to find a woman there—a conceptual artist whom Violet allowed to use the space. Violet’s realtor calls, wanting to make sure that Emsley, as Violet’s heir, does not plan to contest the sale of the house.
Emsley is carrying boxes from the basement when Bram Dekker, Violet’s estate attorney, arrives. Emsley is surprised to find that he is much younger than she expected. He explains that he is filling in for his grandfather and proceeds to help Emsley carry boxes. He offers to put her in contact with an antiques dealer who might be interested in purchasing many of the odd items Violet collected. Before he leaves, he offers, too, to provide the realtor with the information she requested proving that Emsley is the sole heir.
Chapter 10 Summary
Johanna and Theo are married, and they travel to Brussels for a one-day honeymoon. Throughout the day, Johanna worries about having sex, but Theo suggests they wait if she is uncomfortable. They travel to Paris to the home Theo has purchased. He continues to worry about Vincent, who has been ordered to remain hospitalized. Soon, the two have sex, and Johanna is content.
Chapter 11 Summary
The next morning, Bram arrives with coffee, a bagel, and papers for Emsley to sign. They discuss her grandmother, and Emsley explains her parents’ disapproval of Violet’s dramatic lifestyle and of her decision to leave her money to charities, rather than to Emsley’s parents. She confesses to Bram that she has not yet signed the papers he needs, so he agrees to return the next day.
The realtor phones, telling Emsley that the buyer has asked to move the sale up. Emsley believes she can have the house emptied in time. The performance artist, Strena, arrives, and Emsley watches some of her work. Strena gives Emsley a hatbox filled with photos and news articles about Violet, which Violet had given her. Strena plans to use the material for an art piece but tells Emsley she can make copies of any of the material for herself.
Chapter 12 Summary
It is 1890, and Johanna and Theo have had a son, whom they’ve named after Vincent. Johanna will finally meet Vincent because he’s coming to visit. She worries about ruining the lunch and notes that, though the baby is three months old, she still bleeds from the birth.
Vincent arrives by train, and he and Theo look over his paintings. Throughout the lunch, they speak in French, and Johanna understands very little of it. Vincent gives a painting to the baby and insists they hang it immediately. Over the next three days of his visit, he invites over many artist friends, and Johanna grows tired from feeding them and caring for the baby. When Vincent leaves, she notes that he seems well, but two months later, he dies from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Chapter 13 Summary
Bram and his grandfather arrive at Violet’s to collect the signed papers from Emsley. She asks Bram for advice on her business predicament with Trey, so he looks over their contract; he offers to introduce Emsley to an attorney who might be able to help her. Emsley tells him more of Johanna’s diary, believing it must be part of a manuscript the woman named Clara was assembling.
Bram’s grandfather, Bram Sr., Emsley realizes, has known Violet long enough to be her own grandfather as well. She broaches the subject, but he denies it. He tells Emsley of meeting Violet at a party hosted by the Vanderbilts. Violet appeared to have been attacked by someone in the library that night—her dress disheveled with spots of blood on it—and asked Bram Sr. to help her home. Emsley vows to discover the identity of the man who hurt her grandmother.
Chapter 14 Summary
In the summer of 1890, Johanna and baby Wil return to Amsterdam; Theo promises to join them soon once he has sold an important piece of art. Johanna enjoys seeing her family and best friend Anna again but then learns that Vincent has died by suicide. She returns to Paris to comfort Theo.
Theo’s grief subsides, and they move into a new home on the ground floor. Theo plans to host a retrospective show of Vincent’s work in the upstairs apartment before it is sold. He is determined to honor his late brother and make him posthumously famous. One night, however, Johanna wakes to discover that Theo has a dangerous fever.
Chater 15 Summary
Emsley is upset, thinking of Bram Sr.’s story of the attack Violet suffered. Fueled by her anger, she continues to clean out Violet’s home. When she stumbles over the hatbox, she combs through the photos and articles in hopes of finding Violet’s attacker. She does not, so she turns to the internet. There, Emsley finds photographs of the Vanderbilt party and settles on the image of a man, Taylor Wertheim, whom she thinks might be the attacker.
Chapter 16 Summary
By the fall, Theo’s melancholy has worsened. For two weeks, he refuses to leave the bedroom or allow Johanna near him. He berates himself for Vincent’s death and insists that he, too, is sliding into “madness.”
Dries arrives, and, with some cajoling, Theo agrees to see him. They argue, and Johanna takes Wil outside to escape the yelling. When she returns, Dries insists that Theo needs to be put into an asylum. Johanna protests, certain that she can save Theo herself.
Chapters 9-16 Analysis
As the section opens, Emsley is faced with the challenge of dealing with her grief over her grandmother’s death, but she must set it aside to tackle emptying Violet’s home and completing its sale. To an extent, busyness helps, but she is kept away from her business, which she knows needs her attention if it is to stay afloat. Her meeting Bram Jr. is important, as he will become a needed ally. In the early days as their friendship develops, Bram is kind and helpful, not merely in his professional capacities as an attorney, but in taking on extra tasks such as helping Emsley with the house packing and providing her with coffee and breakfast. That Emsley repeatedly puts off signing the papers Bram needs could be the result of how busy and overwhelmed she is; it could also be that she deliberately stalls in hopes that Bram will continue to stop by.
Further, Emsley’s meeting with Bram and his grandfather provides the information about her grandfather she has sought all of her life. The revelation that Violet was sexually assaulted and that Emsley’s mother resulted from the attack shocks Emsley. Her fierce love and loyalty toward Violet are evident as she refuses not to know more about the story. Though Bram Sr. is unwilling to divulge the attacker’s identity, Emsley’s Perseverance Through Adversity pays off, and she discovers his identity. Whether Emsley will act on this information remains to be seen.
Emsley’s encounter with Strena alarms her at first, but as she learns that Violet had allowed Strena to use her home for performance space, Emsley relaxes. She realizes how important Violet’s patronage has been to many artists. That Strena is a performance artist making unconventional art is important: It parallels the story of Vincent van Gogh, who was also pioneering a new form of painting. As Theo’s efforts show, Vincent’s works were not well received in his lifetime. Strena, too, may have had to struggle without the support of more seasoned and respected artists such as Violet. As Emsley gets to know Strena better, she will discover how valuable Violet’s support of otherwise marginalized women artists truly is. Further, the photos and news articles that Strena shares cheer up Emsley and offer her with a means to further remember Violet. Strena’s plans to use the material in an art piece convey how much Strena values and respects Violet.
Proceeding with caution in regard to marriage has proven wise on Johanna’s part. When she is certain she loves Theo, she is free to enter into a commitment. They are a happy couple, and Theo dotes on Johanna, eager to support and care for her. His love and support of his brother, too, dominate his life, and Theo continues to be Vincent’s only true support. Though Johanna has been nervous about meeting Vincent, she is charmed when they finally meet. His true personality and kind spirit shine through his mental illness. The side of Vincent that Johanna sees suggests to her that The Impact of Mental Illness can be overcome.
The end of the section bodes poorly for Theo. Though he has somewhat overcome the grief he feels for Vincent’s death, his relief will prove short lived. Johanna senses that he is in a precarious state and does what she can to comfort and protect him. Dries is insistent that Theo needs to be placed in a psychiatric hospital. Johanna protests, fearing that such a placement will lead to a downward spiral. She is adamant, too, that she herself can provide the healing Theo needs. Her belief in the efficacy of her love and care to alleviate his suffering demonstrates how poorly mental illness was understood in the late 19th century, but it indicates the extent of Johanna’s love for and loyalty to her husband. Dries intervenes as a friend, insisting he has Theo’s best interest at heart. As Theo’s friend and Johanna’s brother, he cares for both characters’ well-being. At times, however, Johanna finds his intervention overbearing and thinks Dries does not necessarily know what is best for her. In this way, Dries represents the traditions and patriarchal structure that confine Johanna.
