47 pages • 1 hour read
Tessa BaileyWreck the Halls: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A 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 17-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary
Beat, Melody, and the production team arrive at Trina’s compound. Over the door, a sign reads “The Free Loving Adventure Club” (180). Beat and Melody sit in the car, studying the setting. Beat takes Melody’s hand and assures her everything will be okay. Then, they hear sirens in the distance. Their driver informs them that the compound attracts a lot of police attention, as Trina’s community often breaks local rules or disturbs the peace. The group follows the cops to a nearby drum circle where Trina is dancing in a pair of giant angel wings. Trina is shocked to see Melody because they only meet once a year in New York. She’s even more surprised when she realizes Melody is with Octavia’s son. The cops try to break up Trina’s circle, as they’re not on Trina’s property. A scuffle ensues, shocking everyone. The cops arrest Melody and Trina for attacking several of the other people. Joseph films the whole scene.
Chapter 18 Summary
The cops take Melody and Trina to the station. Beat comes along, desperate to resolve the issue and make sure Melody is okay. The officers inform him they’ll have to keep Melody and Trina overnight as the bonds officer is off duty. In their cell, Melody and Trina talk openly. Melody explains why she and Beat are there and that they want a Steel Birds reunion. She also informs her that Octavia agrees to play with her again. Trina rants about how much she hates Octavia. Melody marvels at how good her mother is with words and how hard it’s been to grow up in her shadow. However, she doesn’t back down and tells Trina that she needs to find a way to be okay and move forward.
Beat appears, interrupting the conversation. He worked out a way to pay their bail and secure their release. He’s glad to see that Melody is okay, and Trina notices how much he likes her daughter. Outside, she invites Beat and Melody back to her home, offering them her spare room.
Chapter 19 Summary
Beat and Melody settle into Trina’s attic room. The space is tiny, and they feel drawn to each other. Music plays from downstairs. They agree to join the party before anything can happen between them. Downstairs, Melody studies the festive decorations. Trina introduces her to her friends. Melody is hurt when she realizes Trina never told them she had a daughter. They get into an argument, and Melody stands up to Trina, insisting the only thing she learned from her was how to run away from conflict and blame others for her pain. Beat watches, impressed by Melody’s confidence. Then Melody grabs a nearby guitar and jumps onto the stage. Beat joins her, and they perform the famous Steel Birds song, “Rattle the Cage.” Afterward, Beat and Melody retreat to the attic.
Chapter 20 Summary
In the attic room, Beat and Melody kiss. Then they have sex. Beat pulls out of Melody before he orgasms and finishes alone. He’s overcome with feelings and holds Melody close to him afterward. He feels close to her and tells her that he has her.
Chapter 21 Summary: “December 17”
Melody wakes up feeling confused. She’s suddenly homesick and worried about the consequences of being with Beat. She enjoyed having sex with him, but something felt wrong while he was holding her afterward. On the way to the airport, Beat asks if she’s alright. Melody admits that their sexual encounter made her feel lonely and that she doesn’t like that Beat can’t trust her. If he can’t fully open up to her, she doesn’t think she can have sex with him again. She then informs him that she’s not staying at his place when they return to New York, as she needs time alone and has a bocce game the next day.
When they land in New York, Beat and Melody discover how much attention they’re getting online. Their fans loved their performance the night before and want to know what happened between them in the attic room. On the drive back from the airport, Melody reflects on everything that happened and decides it’s still the right decision to take some time away from Beat. When the car drops her off, she reiterates what she’s thinking and feeling to Beat. She suggests that it might be best for them to be friends. Beat protests, but she doesn’t change her mind.
Chapter 22 Summary
Beat spends the next days working on Ovations scholarships to distract himself from Melody. In the meantime, he checks her live stream to make sure she’s okay. Then, one day, he visits Octavia. She confronts him about his feelings for Melody, pressing him for details. He admits that he loves her but insists it’s too complicated. Octavia likes Melody and encourages Beat to try fixing whatever is wrong between them.
On December 18, Beat goes to Vance’s party. Vance confronts Beat about being so private. Seeing him on the live stream has helped Vance understand Beat better than he has before. Then Beat realizes that all his friends are watching Melody’s live stream. He reflects on his conversation with Octavia and decides that he needs to see Melody immediately. He tells Vance he’s going to her bocce game, and his friends offer to accompany him. Beat agrees to let them come.
Chapter 23 Summary
Fans filled the bocce hall. Melody is glad she took a few days away from Beat, but she misses him, too. She tries to focus on the game. When everyone starts cheering, Melody realizes Beat has arrived. She runs into his arms. Beat gives her some pointers on her game. She throws her ball and wins. Afterward, Vance suggests that they all go to the park for a snowball fight.
Chapter 24 Summary
Beat and Melody walk to the park together. They study the Park Slope neighborhood and talk on the way. They agree they’ve had enough time apart and have missed one another. Meanwhile, Beat realizes he might be ready to tell Melody everything. They arrive at Prospect Park, and the snowball fight ensues. The cameramen catch everything on the live stream. Then Melody sneak attacks Beat and knocks him into a snowdrift. Melody lies on top of Beat, and he looks up into her face, suddenly feeling relieved and ready to open up. He tells her he wants to tell her everything once they’re alone. Then Vance appears, revealing that fans are coming to the park. Beat and Melody sneak away.
Chapters 17-24 Analysis
The protagonists’ visit to Trina Gallard’s New Hampshire compound marks a turning point in Beat’s and Melody’s character arcs and their trajectory as a couple. For Melody, visiting her mom challenges her to acknowledge and confront the pain Trina has caused her. For Beat, accompanying Melody to New Hampshire challenges him to open up to Melody in the way she’s opened up to him. Because they’re not in their familiar home environment, both Melody and Beat feel out of place. The New Hampshire compound setting introduces new atmospheric and environmental variables that help usher the characters along The Journey Toward Self-Discovery and Personal Growth.
The dialogue between Melody and Trina captures how Melody is changing, growing, and maturing. Melody is 30 years old in the narrative present. Despite her age, when Melody is with Trina, she feels “like a lackluster teenage girl again, without a single merit that could bring her worldwide fame” (196). Because she didn’t inherit her mother’s musical talent, she can’t help feeling like “a quiet echo of something extraordinary” when she and Trina are together (196). Therefore, showing up at her mother’s home without notice captures Melody’s desire to claim her voice and identity. She wants to prove herself to Trina and confront her about how she has disappointed her as a mother. The scenes in the jail cell and at Trina’s party capture how Melody is “tak[ing] a sword to her comfort zone and slash[ing] it to ribbons” (197). She proves herself to her mother and herself. This marks a discernable shift in Navigating and Repairing Fraught Familial Relationships as Melody finally articulates her hurt, longings, and needs—the first steps toward healing her and Trina’s unhealthy relationship dynamic. As a result of Melody’s newfound boldness, she can better exercise agency in other areas of her life. For example, she begins to set boundaries with Beat after their night together in New Hampshire.
Beat’s conversation with Octavia in Chapter 22 similarly captures Beat’s desire to grow and heal fraught familial dynamics. Although he has a better relationship with his mom compared to Melody, Beat isn’t entirely honest with his mother either. For as long as Beat can remember, he’s learned to silence his emotions on behalf of his parents’ needs. However, this habit has barred Beat from developing real intimacy with others. Watching Melody stand up to her mom inspires him to interact with his loved ones with similar honesty. When he does open up to Octavia, “[s]ympathy sh[ines] in his mother’s eyes” (240). The novel uses both protagonists’ conversations with their mothers to illustrate how vulnerability fosters closeness and allows family members to strengthen their relationships. Although initially scary, Melody and Beat start to take steps toward openness to pursue more balanced, supportive familial dynamics.
The strides Beat and Melody make in their familial relationships influence their romantic relationship and allow them to better navigate The Complexities of Love Under the Spotlight. They’ve both been taught “that the truth is ugly and should always be private” (233). However, the closer they become, the more they realize this tendency toward privacy only threatens their chances of creating a sustainable relationship. Their time apart after the New Hampshire trip gives them space to reflect on their respective definitions of love and allows them to reunite on better terms. The subsequent bocce game and snowball fight scenes capture the characters’ growth as both individuals and a couple, particularly their mutual desire to form an authentic connection. While difficult at first, they can now embrace honesty to help ensure their relationship’s sustainability.
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By Tessa Bailey
