40 pages • 1 hour read
Rachel Lynn SolomonToday Tonight Tomorrow
Rachel Lynn SolomonFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 14-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary: “3:07 p.m.”
The chapter is prefaced with an update on the Howl standings. Rowan and Neil, who lead the top five, have found three clues each.
Though he is skeptical at first, Neil agrees to work with Rowan to take out Savannah and her friends. Neil and Rowan agree to split the prize money regardless of the outcome. They also agree that the loser will write a book report on a book of the winner’s choosing. They continue talking strategy over pizza. Rowan brings up how his snide remarks about her love of romance novels make her feel small, and he apologizes genuinely, sharing that he does not hate romance novels.
Chapter 15 Summary: “3:40 p.m.”
The first part of the chapter is a receipt from Upper Crust Pizza.
Rowan and Neil go to a record shop to look for their next clue, which is a Nirvana record. They talk a little bit about music, and Rowan is shocked to discover that they have similar taste. The girl working at the store offers to help them, and Rowan notices that she seems to be flirting with Neil. While they wait for the salesperson to find the record, they take turns sharing songs with one another at the listening station. Seeing another senior, Madison, Rowan pulls her band from her arm, taking her out of the game.
Chapter 16 Summary: “4:15 p.m.”
The chapter begins by listing the Howl clues that Rowan and Neil have found.
Neil and Rowan visit Neil’s friend Sean at his house so he can take a look at Rowan’s broken phone. Sean manages to fix it with little effort. On the drive back to town, they receive texts reporting that the two of them are in the lead. On their way into the Red Hall, Neil tells Rowan that he is feeling dizzy.
The next part of the chapter is a note from a stranger placed on Rowan’s car, telling her not to double park.
Chapter 17 Summary: “4:46 p.m.”
Rowan sits with Neil as he drinks some ginger ale and eats saltine crackers to ease his dizziness. Rowan, hoping to distract him, confesses that she had a crush on him during freshmen year.
On the main floor of the library, Rowan’s mom calls to tell her that she and Rowan’s father have finished the draft of their book. Rowan promises to be home for Shabbat dinner. When she gets off the phone, Neil realizes that her parents are the authors of his favorite book series, Excavated. When he reveals that he is also Jewish, Rowan invites him to meet her parents at Shabbat dinner. He asks to go home first to get his Excavated books for them to sign.
Chapter 18 Summary: “5:33 p.m.”
The first part of the chapter lists things Rowan knows about Neil so far.
At Neil’s house, Rowan meets his little sister, who is having a sleepover. In the kitchen, Rowan meets Neil’s mother, who seems to know a lot about her from Neil. In his bedroom, Neil opens up to Rowan about his father, who is in prison. Neil tells her that he wants to win the prize money for his father, who has a history of abuse. Neil cries, and Rowan comforts him. Before they leave, Rowan spots a romance novel on Neil’s shelf, one that she had spoken about once during freshmen year. When they leave, Rowan decides that she wants to win Howl for Neil and give him the money.
Chapter 19 Summary: “6:22 p.m.”
The chapter starts with an excerpt from Excavated.
At Rowan’s house, Neil tells her parents how much their books meant to him growing up. They share funny details about Rowan, including her habit of eating cream cheese with a spoon. They sign his books. Neil, knowing their stance on romance novels through Rowan, makes a case for them as undervalued. Rowan leaves the table for a minute to collect her thoughts, realizing that she is beginning to feel differently about Neil.
The end of the chapter includes a list of the clues that Rowan and Neil still need to find.
Chapter 20 Summary: “7:03 p.m.”
Back in the car, Neil offers to take Rowan to the signing. Rowan wants to attend alone, so she declines his offer. They have a conversation about being Jewish and bond over their shared experiences. Talking with him makes Rowan regret not having become friends sooner. After they find their next clue, Neil buys them marijuana cookies.
Chapters 14-20 Analysis
This section of the novel functions mainly to establish and explore the budding friendship between Rowan and Neil, two people who have been bitter rivals since meeting. Rowan’s suggestion that she and Neil team up to take out the rest of their classmates to ultimately battle against each other at the end of the scavenger hunt is a compelling plot twist given their relationship as academic competitors. As Rowan and Neil team up to work together in a capacity that is social and not academic, the reader must ask themselves where this journey may take the pair, as it is a huge departure from their former relationship. Moreover, the establishment of Rowan and Neil as a team instead of rivals sets the stage for romance.
This section of the novel sees Rowan and Neil getting to know each other as individuals for the first time in four years, which highlights one of the major themes: Letting Go of Fear and Embracing the Unknown. Indeed, rather than spending their time together bickering and competing, these chapters depict Rowan and Neil gradually letting their guards down and opening up on a personal level, or letting go of fear. Further, they like what they learn of each other and find much common ground, including a shared Jewish heritage and a mutual desire to protect, as seen when Neil defends romance novels to Rowan’s parents. Both characters are willing to be vulnerable and authentic mere hours after proposing to work as a team, suggesting that the tension they always felt stemmed from much more than academic rivalry. In this vein of vulnerability, Neil reveals to Rowan that he has not had much to eat throughout the day and consequently feels ill; by going out of her way to get him the necessary supplies to feel better and sitting with and comforting him, Rowan suggests that she cares more about Neil than she ever let on. Together, they embrace the unknown of each other.
When Rowan discovers that Neil is Jewish like herself, she sees him in a new light. Having felt ostracized her entire life for being Jewish, she is comforted by the discovery of Neil’s own Jewishness. Moreover, the realization makes her reflect on their history, and, in particular, makes her wish they had become friends sooner in their high school careers.
Rowan and Neil’s relationship makes leaps and bounds when they visit Neil’s house. Neil’s confession of dire financial straits and his troubled relationship with his father—confessions that cause him to break down sobbing—further endear him to Rowan, who can no longer deny that she cares deeply for Neil. Significantly, the empathy and compassion that she feels for Neil in this moment has an important narrative function, as it empowers Rowan to make the decision to win Howl at any cost so that the prize money can go to Neil, someone who truly needs it. This decision also gestures to the theme of The Difficult Experience of Growing Up and Embracing Change. It takes maturity and empathy to observe a situation and choose to change course to help someone else over yourself, but Rowan embraces this.
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