The Memory Keeper’s Daughter: Chapter 13: August 1977 Summary & Analysis

Paul and his friend Duke walk together along the train tracks outside of Lexington. They hear a train approaching, and though Duke jumps into the weeds at the side of the tracks, Paul remains standing, facing the oncoming train head-on, until the very last minute. Paul loves the “rush” he gets from playing this game. It allows him to release some of the rage he’s held inside ever since the trip to Aruba—when he discovered his mother was having an affair with Howard after finding her discarded clothes on the beach during a run.

Paul has, for many years, thought that all the animosity and secretiveness between his parents was “normal” until he began hanging out with Duke more and met Duke’s family. Although the Madisons don’t have much money, they love one another and are happy, and they talk to one another like equals.

Now, Duke and Paul wander across the tracks, wondering what they should do next. Duke fishes in his pocket and pulls out a bag of marijuana—Paul admits he has never gotten high before, but Duke promises that it’s both “amazing” and safe. Paul says that they can smoke at his house—his parents aren’t home, and won’t be for hours—and the boys pick their bikes up from Duke’s and head over to Paul’s.

Back at the Henrys’, Paul and Duke smoke a joint together, and Paul gets deeply and immediately stoned. The two boys laugh, snack, and play music all afternoon as they ride out their highs. As dusk falls, they order pizza and eat hungrily. After dark, Paul’s parents still aren’t home—Norah calls the house to tell Paul that she’s taking clients to dinner and will be home as soon as she can. Paul promises his mother he’s okay on his own, but she still seems worried and expresses anger at David for not coming home on time. Paul hangs up, unable to deal with his parents’ squabbles.

Paul picks up his guitar and plays, thinking briefly about the sister he never knew. He wonders what she would be like if she hadn’t died. Duke decides to call his dealer to buy more weed, since their highs are abating. Paul continues getting lost in memories of his childhood, and recalls going, when he was nine or ten, to the cemetery where his sister was buried. Ever since, he has internalized the fear that his sister’s death was somehow his fault.

Duke asks if Paul has any cash, and Paul leads him out to David’s darkroom. In the last few years, David’s photographs have gained some attention in the art world, and now David spends most of his time in the darkroom. His most famous photograph is several years old, and shows the ruins of the University of Kentucky ROTC building. Paul opens his father’s refrigerator while Duke looks around, and pulls out a few twenty-dollar bills. He found the money several months ago, and has been stealing twenties one or two at a time ever since. His father never seems to notice, and Paul’s secret makes him uneasy.

Two older boys from Duke and Paul’s high school arrive with more weed. Paul pays them for the drugs, and then the four boys smoke a joint together inside the darkroom. Paul has a different high this time, though—he feels lost, empty, and paranoid. When the older boys begin touching David’s photographs and equipment, Paul grows agitated. The older boys trash the place and then ride off on their bikes, leaving Paul and Duke behind with the mess.

The next thing Paul knows, it is morning, and he is awake on the floor of the darkroom—with David standing over him, shouting about the mess and demanding to know what happened. He asks if Paul is responsible for what happened—Paul says he isn’t, but also admits that he “didn’t stop [it]” from happening. As punishment, David says, Paul will need to help him clean up the mess, reorganize the photographs, and reconstruct the files. To make time for all the work, David says, Paul will need to give up music rehearsals. Paul angrily accuses David of looking for an excuse to stop him from playing, but David says he’d never to do that to Paul.

David picks up a photograph of a family Paul doesn’t recognize. David tells Paul that the family in the photo is himself, his sister June, and their parents. David calmly explains to Paul that when he was growing up, money was painfully tight—sometimes, the family didn’t know where their next meal would come from. David reminds Paul that he’s worked very hard to ensure Paul wants for nothing—and warns Paul not to “throw it all away” on drugs. Paul apologizes for his actions and promises to help clean up—but tells David he’ll never give up on music. Paul and David together set to work cleaning up the ruined darkroom.