The Immortalists: Chapter 32 Summary & Analysis

For two more days, Luke helps out at the lab as he gets more material for his story. Varya is surprised at Luke’s skill with the monkeys, and he explains that he grew up on a farm. He asks her if she thinks of the monkeys as individuals. She says initially she did, but she tries not to so that she can remain unemotional about her research. She remembers the beginning of the study, when Frida shamelessly called for more food, and Varya had to turn away from her. She says that the monkeys aren’t as valuable as the potential medical advances they can provide.

The next day, Friday, is also Luke’s last day, and Luke asks Varya to go for dinner or a drink after work to thank her for her help on the article. Varya agrees—she’s tired of cutting herself off from people. They go to a wine bar, but Varya doesn’t eat at restaurants, so she only drinks. He tells her about his family, who owned a cherry farm in Wisconsin. Varya tells him that her elder brother was a doctor, her younger brother was a dancer, and her sister was a magician. When Luke points out that she used past tense, she admits that all three are dead.

Luke starts to ask if Varya’s siblings’ deaths are why she chose her field of study, but when he mentions Klara’s name—without Varya having said it—she becomes afraid. Varya gets up to leave, but the wine has made her unsteady and she falls. Luke tries to put his hand on Varya’s, but she tells him not to touch her. He says that she shouldn’t drive home and asks her where she lives. At this question, she runs out of the restaurant and finds her car.