Previous
Chapter 31
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Human Cost of Climate Change
Justice
Urban vs. Rural
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Falk goes to Gretchen’s place and has three glasses of red wine. He tells her about what happened to his car. She asks if the case is wrapping up, and he says he isn’t sure. Gretchen then goes to show Falk an old photo album of when they were younger. After looking through it for a while, they start to kiss, but soon, a cell phone ring interrupts them. Gretchen has to take it since it’s the babysitter.
Although Gretchen’s presence still provides comfort for Falk, the fact that he has three glasses of wine in quick succession seems to suggest that Falk is still on edge and trying to forget his problems. While the vandalism on his car shook him, he seems even more affected by his disappointing encounter with Deacon and his falling out with Sergeant Raco in the previous chapter.
Themes
While Gretchen is gone, Falk flips through more of her photo albums. He sees some photos of Gretchen and Luke together in their early 20s, then all of a sudden, the photos of Luke stop, right around the time when he met Karen. Falk is shocked, however, to discover a poorly lit photo on that last page that shows Luke in the maternity ward of a hospital, holding a baby with the name Lachlan Schoner (Lachie) on his wrist.
