The Notebook: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

While Allie sleeps in the living room, Noah goes to the kitchen to make a hearty breakfast for them both. He brings it to her, and as soon as they both finish eating, they have sex again before taking a shower together. For the rest of the morning, they wander the property together hand-in-hand, checking the land for signs of storm damage. At noon, they go inside to make lunch. While doing the dishes after the meal, there is a knock at the front door. Noah goes to answer it. When he opens the door, he is shocked to find himself face to face with Anne Nelson—Allie’s mother. Allie calls cheerfully from the kitchen, asking who’s there, and Noah tells her.

Anne, Noah, and Allie sit together at the coffee table in the living room. Allie asks how Anne found her, and Anne tells Allie that she knows her daughter better than Allie knows herself. She saw Allie’s reaction to the article about Noah weeks ago and has noticed her erratic behavior since. Anne says she has come here alone—she didn’t tell Allie’s father or Lon about her trip. Anne turns to Noah and tells him that she always liked him—she just never thought he was right for Allie. Noah says he doesn’t see how both things could be true.

Anne turns to Allie and tells her that Lon called the house last night deeply concerned after being unable to get a hold of Allie for two days in a row. Anne warns Allie that Lon is on his way—and that he has everything figured out. Anne has come ahead of Lon to warn Allie, but she did not tell Lon where she suspected Allie was. Allie thanks her mother for keeping her secret.

Allie asks Anne what she should do. Anne says she doesn’t know—but she encourages Allie to think long and hard about what she wants. Noah leaves the room to allow the two women to talk alone. After he is gone, Anne asks if Allie loves Noah. Allie says she does. Anne asks if Allie loves Lon. Allie says she loves Lon too, but in a very different way. Anne acknowledges the difficult decision Allie has to make and promises that no matter what Allie decides, she’ll always love her.

Anne reaches into her purse and retrieves a bundle of letters tied together with string—they are the letters Noah wrote to Allie. Anne has saved them all these years. Allie silently takes the letters, overwhelmed. Anne tells Allie she’s going to return to Raleigh—Allie has a big decision to make and needs space to figure things out. Anne asks Allie what she’s going to do, and Allie admits she doesn’t know. As Anne walks out of the room, Allie believes she can hear her mother whisper to her, “Follow your heart.”