Ordinary People

Ordinary People is the first novel written by Judith Guest and chronicles the life of an American family in the aftermath of two traumatic events. The book was first published in 1976 and was the recipient of the Janet Heidinger Kafka prize. It later inspired a film directed by Robert Redford and starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton. Guest went on to write books like Second Heaven (1982), Killing Time in St. Cloud (1988), Errands (1997), and The Tarnished Eye (2004).

This study guide refers to the 1982 Penguin Books edition.

Content Warning: This book depicts suicide and self-harm and features characters grieving the death of a family member. There are also references to controversial mental health treatments such as electroshock therapy.

Plot Summary

Not long after the American Jarrett family lost their eldest son, Buck, to a sailing accident, the younger son, Conrad, attempted suicide. His parents, Cal and Beth, admitted Conrad to a mental health hospital, where he stayed for eight months. The novel begins a month after his return home and focuses on the family’s various ways of grieving as they attempt to return to a normal life.

Conrad represses all emotion, and this results in bursts of fury that escape when he can no longer hold in his feelings. Beth is similarly private about her emotional life, but she channels her grief into perfectionism and travel. She prioritizes order and cleanliness—a perfect home for a perfect family. When life gets overwhelming, she flees, often to Europe. Cal won’t take sides with either of them, hurting them both in the process. He craves communication with his loved ones, and his grief is more external. He worries that something else will happen to Conrad. Each family member is searching for their identity in the changed family dynamic and the world at large.

Conrad tries to get back to his routine, starting with returning to school. Because of his time in the hospital, he must repeat his junior year. Conrad has been antisocial since coming home, which worries Cal. One day, he starts to carpool with boys from school, which Cal finds promising. Some of the boys in the car are Lazenby, Conrad’s best friend, and Stillman, an arrogant jerk. On their way to school, Conrad notices a new girl at school, Jeanine Pratt.

Conrad feels like he is failing to return to normal. His grades are fine but not perfect. His swimming times have slowed, prompting rude remarks from the swim coach, Salan. Conrad finds solace in choir; he can sing without letting his personal life seep through. Cal notices that Conrad still doesn’t seem like himself and tells him to see the doctor who was recommended to him. Conrad doubts the doctor can help him, but Dr. Berger is slightly eccentric and friendlier than the doctors he saw in the hospital. He asks Conrad what he wants to accomplish, and Conrad says he wants to be more in control of his life. At the end of the session, Conrad decides he likes Dr. Berger and looks forward to going back.

Conrad’s friends remind him too much of Buck, so he reaches out to Karen, who he met in the hospital. She lives in another town, but he is willing to commute to see a familiar, friendly face. The meeting does not go as he expected. Karen is nervous to see Conrad because he sounded sad on the phone, and she is worried it will negatively affect her. Before she leaves, she tells him to call her again.

Conrad tells Dr. Berger that he hates the swim team. The coach keeps probing him for information about the hospital and the treatment he received there. Conrad wishes he could quit, and Dr. Berger says he should if he wants to. For the first time, Conrad permits himself to stop doing something expected of him.

Cal and Beth’s seemingly perfect marriage is troubled. Beth is annoyed with Cal for worrying too much and for telling people about Conrad’s situation. Cal fears Conrad will notice that she doesn’t seem invested in anything he says or does. The primary point of contention is that Cal won’t take a holiday to London over Christmas. Last Christmas, shortly before Conrad attempted suicide, the Jarretts vacationed in Florida. Cal feels they missed several signs of Conrad’s distress on that trip. He feels that for Conrad’s sake, they should stay home and travel in the spring. Beth desperately needs to get away and reclaim some sense of normalcy. They end up staying home, but Beth resents Cal.

Conrad doesn’t tell his parents he quit the swim team. He is slowly carving out his own identity and discovering his own interests. Near Christmas, Cal takes him to pick out a real tree, and for the first time in a while, he is able to make a clear decision. Even Beth, who thinks real trees are messy, admits that it looks pretty. She leaves them alone to decorate while she goes to a meeting. When she returns, she exposes that Conrad has been lying about what he does after school. Another Beth mentioned that he quit the swim team. This launches a fight: Conrad yells at Beth for never visiting him in the hospital and asks why he should tell her anything when she obviously doesn’t care. He tells her she should go back to Europe. Beth won’t go after Conrad when he goes to his room and makes Cal go instead. Cal wonders if his family will ever be the same again.

Conrad tells Dr. Berger about the fight, and that he is sure Beth hates him. Dr. Berger suggests that she might love him as much as she is able. He warns Conrad against holding in his emotions, which will only lead to more eruptions. Conrad wants to talk about girls, and Dr. Berger suggests he ask out his crush, Jeanine. When Conrad gets home, he calls and asks her out. To his surprise, she says yes, and the two of them eventually begin dating.

Cal’s law partner, Ray, says he’s worried about him. He thinks he worries about Conrad too much, and it is seeping into all areas of his life. Ray’s wife had lunch with Beth, who expressed these same frustrations and feels neglected. Cal decides to take Beth to Texas on a golfing trip to make up for not going to London. Conrad, who is doing much better, stays with his grandparents while they are away. Beth has a great time, but Cal insists that they communicate. She tells Cal that he is smothering Conrad and that she just wants to forget about their problems. She is convinced that Conrad attempted suicide to punish her for not being the kind of mom he thinks she should be, and she refuses to forgive him.

Conrad has been feeling better and stronger. His relationship is going well, and he is learning to let comments slide off his back. Everything changes when he learns that Karen has died by suicide. The news unleashes a wave of terrible memories: the horrors he witnessed at the hospital, the night he cut his wrists, and the night Buck died. In a panic, he phones Dr. Berger, who agrees to meet him.

Conrad has a breakthrough in therapy. He thought that he only had to forgive Beth, but he must also forgive himself. He blames himself for Buck’s death, even though it was an accident. Dr. Berger explains that Conrad’s identity crisis comes from losing his role model. Conrad tried to become Buck, but Dr. Berger tells him he must allow his own self to develop. Conrad finally allows himself to feel and takes an important step toward healing.

Beth leaves indefinitely for Europe, unable to stay home and grieve any longer. Cal tells Conrad they are selling the house, and he isn’t sure when Beth will return, though he hopes she comes back. Cal and Conrad truly connect for the first time.