49 pages 1 hour read

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016

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Part 2, Chapters 21-35

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “The Kiss”

Part 2, Chapter 21 Summary

Stephanie attends a team-building session that is part of a mandatory training by the company she has sold her agency to. She is annoyed by what she regards as a waste of time and is eager to excuse herself when she receives a phone call from Bea asking if Leo has read her new writing.

Stephanie returns to the session and cannot help but check an app that informs her of the age and size of a fetus. Stephanie became pregnant by Leo on the night of the power outage. She thinks about Leo, surprised that he appears to have changed and become much more reliable.

Part 2, Chapter 22 Summary

Matilda recalls the adjustment to life with a prosthetic foot. Because she needs to use both crutches and a wheelchair, she buys an accessible apartment with the money from the Plumbs. Initially, the money from the Plumbs seems infinite, but it dwindles as Matilda feels beholden to help any family member who asks for it. She is convinced the loss of her foot is a karmic payback for her dalliance with Leo, a married man.

Vinnie arrives with pizza and a mirror. He shows Matilda a trick he learned in rehab involving the mirror to treat the pain caused by the phantom limb, explaining that it works by rewiring the brain.