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52 pages 1 hour read

Hum If You Don't Know the Words

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

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Chapters 23-34Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 23 Summary: “Robin. 1 through 22 July 1976. Yeoville, Johannesburg, South Africa”

Edith leaves her job at the airline to take care of Robin and pretends to be okay. A man named Michael calls Edith, and Robin knows he’s Edith’s lover because she overheard Edith talking to Victor about him. Edith sends Robin on an errand, and when Robin returns, Edith is dressed up. She takes Robin downstairs to hang out with the Goldmans and leaves. Morrie and Robin talk about books, and Morrie tries to explain that he’s Jewish and sometimes uses Yiddish words. Robin is confused about his culture and the word “circumcision.” An hour later, Edith returns and drags Robin upstairs. She pours herself a few glasses of scotch, says Michael is “no one” when Robin asks, and takes the bottle into her room for the rest of the night. Robin sleeps on the couch.

Edith goes to several job interviews, and all the employers reject her. The women interviewing her are offended by her fashion sense, and the one person who offered her a job was a man who only wanted to sleep with her. Edith becomes depressed, drinking all day and never leaving the house. Robin tries to brainstorm ways to ensure that Wilhelmina, the social worker, can’t take her away.

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