Summer, #1
The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
Contents
chapter forty -five
Overview
On the last day, cleanup and a leftover dinner ease into shared laughter. Susannah bluntly declares she won’t pursue more aggressive treatment, choosing to stay with family. Belly stages a midnight swim that reunites the trio; they recite Susannah’s favorite poem, and Conrad promises they will all return, ending on fragile hope.
Summary
On the final cleanup day, Belly recalls how Laurel enforces order while Susannah secretly hires cleaners, a private bond between Belly and Susannah. Dinner becomes a smorgasbord of aging leftovers, and Jeremiah’s and Conrad’s jokes break the tension, letting everyone laugh together for the first time in a while.
Susannah pivots from humor to candor, announcing she will continue acupuncture and medicines but refuse further hospital treatments. She wants to spend her time at the beach with those she loves and even jokes about getting as tan as Belly. Everyone agrees outwardly, despite knowing it isn’t truly okay.
After dinner, the house grows quiet as everyone packs. Belly, unwilling to end summer on sadness, writes notes inviting Jeremiah and Conrad to a midnight swim. She dives into the moonlit pool first, and the boys arrive together, leaping in after some teasing.
In the water, Conrad gently brushes Belly’s bangs aside, which Jeremiah notices and pointedly turns away from. Belly recalls Susannah’s favorite poem and begins reciting; Jeremiah and Conrad join in, and the shared memory binds them in a heavy silence that acknowledges Susannah’s illness without naming it.
When Belly fears this might be their last summer, Conrad insists, “We’ll always come back… all of us,” offering reassurance that steadies the moment. Belly proposes a whirlpool, and the three run in circles and then float, surrendering to the current—ending the night suspended between loss and connection.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel Conklin)Narrator; engineers a midnight swim to reclaim joy and unity before leaving.
- Susannah (Beck) FisherOpenly rejects further hospital treatment, choosing time with loved ones and lightness.
- Conrad FisherReserved but softens; shares jokes, gently brushes Belly’s hair, vows they’ll always return.
- Jeremiah FisherBreaks tension with humor; joins the swim and poem, quietly registers Conrad–Belly closeness.
- Laurel (Belly’s mother)Directs cleanup; banters at dinner, grounding the family in routine and practicality.