Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Bret narrates a late-summer afternoon visiting Deborah Schaffer’s new horse before a Bel Air gathering, reflecting on his entanglements with Susan Reynolds and Thom Wright. He recalls a formative 1980 screening of The Shining and a mysterious boy who fixates him, alongside secret encounters and shifting desires. These memories foreshadow fractures in friendships and the looming arrival of new student Robert Mallory.
Summary
On the Sunday before Labor Day 1981, Bret follows Thom Wright and Susan Reynolds to Malibu’s Windover Stables, where his new girlfriend, Deborah Schaffer, shows off her horse, Spirit. The scene feels staged and airless; Bret participates out of obligation and image, already sensing distance beneath their polished surfaces.
Driving back toward Bel Air, Bret frames Thom and Susan as the school’s golden couple, recalling their ascent since sophomore year and Susan’s quiet doubts about Thom’s incuriosity. Bret admits his long-standing, unspoken love for both of them and the delicate balance among their friendships.
Bret explains how Debbie suddenly became his summer girlfriend—part experiment, part proximity to her powerful producer father, Terry Schaffer. He sketches Debbie’s transformation into a provocative ideal and contrasts Susan’s minimalism with Debbie’s defiance, highlighting how appearances rule their world.
New independence after getting cars fuels nights at clubs, days in Westwood cinemas, and a curated, adult-seeming routine. Bret then rewinds to May 24, 1980: seeing The Shining alone at the Village Theater. As the film begins, he is overwhelmed by a breathtaking, unidentified boy in the aisles, a desire so intense it eclipses the movie and becomes a defining private obsession.
Back in the present drive along Sunset, Bret catalogues the summer’s pleasures—concerts, parties, fashion shifts, and an easy confidence that senior year will be effortless. Yet he admits to concealed transgressions: clandestine sexual encounters with classmates Matt Kellner and Ryan Vaughn that he will never share with Thom, Susan, or Debbie.
He closes by hinting that the seemingly perfect tableau is fragile and about to change. That very night they will first hear the name of a new senior at Buckley: Robert Mallory, an arrival that will alter the course of their final year.
Who Appears
- BretNarrator; balances desire, secrecy, and image while reflecting on friends, a summer romance, and a haunting encounter at The Shining.
- Deborah (Debbie) SchafferBret’s new girlfriend; wealthy, provocative, boards her horse Spirit; host-to-be of the Bel Air gathering.
- Thom WrightPopular athlete and Susan’s boyfriend; laid-back, handsome; center of Bret’s past and present fixation.
- Susan ReynoldsThom’s girlfriend and Bret’s closest confidante; subtly disenchanted, perceptive of Bret’s secrets.
- The boy at The ShiningUnidentified, stunning young man in the theater; ignites Bret’s intense, formative desire.
- Terry SchafferDebbie’s powerful producer father; emblem of Hollywood wealth and allure shaping Bret’s fascination.
- Liz SchafferDebbie’s mother; distant, insulated by privilege and pain; briefly noted in family portrait.
- SpiritDebbie’s new horse; symbol of wealth and control, unsettling Bret at the stables.
- Matt KellnerClassmate; has a secret sexual encounter with Bret during the summer.
- Ryan VaughnFootball co-captain; shares an intimate, covert moment with Bret in a movie theater.
- Anthony MatthewsFriend who hosts parties; setting for Bret and Debbie’s first hookup.
- Robert MalloryNew student mentioned as arriving for senior year; foreshadowed as significant.