Mad Honey
by Jodi Picoult
Year
2022
Pages
509
Contents
Epilogue
Summary
- The chapter is an epilogue, set ten months after the events of the main story, dated September 28, 2019.
- It opens with a reflection on the survival of bees despite natural selection suggesting that traits like sterility in worker bees and the fatal act of stinging shouldn't be passed on.
- The protagonist is preparing beehives for impending winter, showcasing their connection to beekeeping.
- Ava Campanello, whom the protagonist hasn't seen since Asher's trial, unexpectedly arrives as the protagonist is waiting for someone named Mike to come over.
- Ava's car is full, suggesting she's moving, and she has a dog named Boris with her.
- The protagonist feels anxious as Ava approaches and expresses uncertainty about her reason for visiting.
- Ava announces she's leaving town for good and plans to hike the Appalachian Trail with Boris, with uncertain plans thereafter.
- An emotional conversation ensues where Ava speaks about the loneliness of grief and the fading concern of others over time.
- The protagonist asserts that they haven't forgotten Lily, to which Ava inquires about Asher.
- The protagonist defensively mentions Asher is at Plymouth State, implying there is tension or history concerning Asher.
- Ava expresses relief that the protagonist did not have to lose a child, revealing she once lost a son but found comfort in gaining a daughter—now feeling like she has nothing after Lily's death.
- The protagonist wants to comfort Ava but struggles to find the right words or actions.
- Before Ava leaves, the protagonist offers her a jar of honey, symbolic of immortality and continuity.
- Despite Ava's claim of disliking honey, she takes the jar and departs with a reflective moment, leaving the protagonist to watch her go.
- The protagonist muses that one day Ava might use the honey, possibly forgetting where it came from, but the honey will remain unchanged, waiting for her.