Whistler
by Ann Patchett
Contents
5
Overview
Daphne escorts Eddie to chemo, deepening their bond through quiet caretaking and a candid talk about impermanence and the bardo. Eddie asks Daphne to guide him at death; together they imaginatively release Lucas. After treatment, Skip arrives with dinner, revealing tender devotion. On her way home, Daphne hears Jonathan confess past failures with Candy’s chemo, sharpening the novel’s themes of care, mortality, and atonement.
Summary
Daphne describes Eddie’s active cultural life and how family members share time with him, but she insists on taking him to chemotherapy. In July, she escorts Eddie, now using a simple cane, through a crowded oncology waiting room and settles him for treatment. They speak fondly of Dr. Ocean, and Eddie mentions exchanging notes with Leda, hinting at old regrets easing.
While delays stretch the day, Eddie dozes and then declares he’s resolved not to be angry anymore. In their chemo pod, he discusses impermanence and the bardo, asking Daphne to promise to tell him he’s dead when the time comes so he won’t get stuck. Prompted by Eddie, they silently practice by addressing Lucas Ekker, urging his spirit to move on; Daphne imagines finding Lucas in the Winchester yard and saying goodbye.
They consider Mary Carter’s visions of the dead as a near-death threshold, not the bardo, recalling Eddie’s mother’s similar experience. The infusion ends late, and Daphne insists on taking Eddie home despite his protests.
At Eddie’s building, Jonas hints at a visitor. Upstairs, Skip greets them, having brought dinner; Eddie leans into Skip, revealing quiet intimacy and care. Daphne leaves them together, recognizing how little she truly knows of others’ relationships.
On the street, overwhelmed, Daphne calls Jonathan. As she navigates to Grand Central, Jonathan confesses that during Candy’s chemo he often left her alone, keeping others away, and regrets failing her. Daphne, determined simply to show up, secures a taxi and heads home, thinking of Whistler’s unexpected success.
Who Appears
- DaphneNarrator; steadfastly escorts Eddie to chemo, practices releasing Lucas’s spirit, and processes Jonathan’s painful confession.
- Eddie TriplettRetired editor with leukemia; reflects on impermanence, asks Daphne to guide him at death, leans on Skip after chemo.
- SkipEddie’s former partner; arrives with dinner and tenderly supports exhausted Eddie, revealing enduring care.
- JonathanDaphne’s husband; counsels her homeward and admits abandoning Candy during chemo, exposing regret.
- LedaDaphne’s mother; exchanges letters with Eddie and successfully secured Lucas’s mushroom casket earlier.
- Lucas EkkerLeda’s late husband; Daphne and Eddie imagine guiding his spirit from the bardo to move on.
- Dr. OceanEddie’s oncologist; adeptly times treatment to manage rising white cells.
- JonasEddie’s doorman; subtly alerts Daphne to Skip’s presence and helps usher them in.
- Oncology nurseKind, competent nurse who places Eddie’s IV and monitors his infusion.
- Elevator womanStranger who backs Daphne’s insistence on accompanying Eddie home.