52 pages • 1 hour read
Chris CrutcherStaying Fat For Sarah Byrnes
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 17-19Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary
While Eric recovers in the hospital he enjoys media attention and plenty of visitors. One of the more unexpected visitors is Mark Brittian, who comes to apologize to Eric for the way he treated him in the past. Eric gets a visit from Ms. Lemry too, who tells Eric about the trip to Reno. Though they were able to locate Sarah’s mother it did not end as hoped. Sarah’s mother was not interested in taking up the maternal role she’d abandoned years before. Watching Sarah’s rejection triggers Ms. Lemry’s memories of childhood rejection, less traumatic but still wounding, and Ms. Lemry tells Eric that she’s amazed Sarah has survived all she’s been through.
Chapter 18 Summary
While he waits to be released from the hospital, Eric is visited again by Mark Brittian, who asks Eric’s advice on how to brave the experience of returning to school when everyone knows about his suicide attempt. Eric tells him to simply own it, the way Eric learned to own his body and his weight. Mark also confides in Eric that he’s been talking with Mr. Ellerby and is now contemplating a less rigid and judgmental brand of Christianity. Sarah comes to say goodbye to Eric shortly after, informing Eric that she’s decided to get as far away as possible, perhaps hide out in a halfway house for kids she read about. Eric contacts Ms. Lemry right away and alerts her that Sarah is headed to the bus station. Eric and Ms. Lemry intercept her there and convince her not to leave, telling her that they will find a way to keep her safe.
Chapter 19 Summary
Much to everyone’s shock, it is Carter, Eric’s mom’s boyfriend, who deals with Virgil Byrnes. Carter breaks into Virgil’s house and waits for him to arrive. After that, Carter attacks him, beating Virgil so badly his face is almost unrecognizable. Carter ends up spending six months on work release at the county jail. Meanwhile, Sarah ends up adopted by Ms. Lemry, finding a safe and supportive home at last. Eric and Jody continue their relationship without harassment from Mark.
Chapters 17-19 Analysis
Carter Middleton, Eric’s mom’s boyfriend, becomes an unlikely hero to Eric at the end of the book. While everyone is attending to the needs of Sarah, Carter gets revenge on Mr. Byrnes. Eric admires him for this action. Eric also strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mark at the end of the book when Mark asks his advice on how to face his peers when dealing with shame and self-loathing. Eric, after a lifetime of experience with this, has helpful advice to offer. Eric encourages Mark to simply accept himself and learn to laugh off the criticism. Eric’s relationship with Jody also evolves by the end of the book. And it is a happy ending for Sarah Byrnes, who finally gets the home and family she has been searching for when Ms. Lemry takes her in.
Related Titles
By Chris Crutcher
