All the Bright Places: 50. Violet: The rest of March Summary & Analysis

On Thursday, Finch starts to text Violet. He writes that “they were all perfect days,” but then he turns his phone off and doesn’t respond to Violet’s texts or voicemails. He texts back hours later to say that he’s “found.” Violet’s mom talks to Finch’s mom, who says that Finch is going to check in every week and that they don’t need a psychiatrist for him. This is normal; Finch isn’t missing. When Violet asks her mom if they know where Finch went, she notices her mom look suddenly worried. Violet knows that if she disappeared, her parents would have police looking in multiple states. Violet’s mom says she doesn’t know, but it seems like they have to trust that Finch is okay.

At school, Violet feels like the only one who notices Finch is gone. School days proceed as normal: Violet gets acceptance and rejection letters from colleges, plays in an orchestra concert, and holds her first meeting for Germ. Whenever she texts Finch, it takes him ages to write back—and he never actually responds to what she says. She’s starting to get angry.

After another two days, Violet starts getting texts from Finch. He writes first that he’s “on the highest branch,” and then that they “are written in paint.” That night, he writes that he believes in signs—and the next afternoon, he writes cryptically, “The glow of Ultraviolet.” The following day, he writes, “A lake. A prayer. It’s so lovely to be lovely in Private.” Then, the texts stop.