logo

50 pages 1 hour read

The Pilot's Wife

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1998

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 2, Chapter 16-Part 3, Chapter 21Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapter 16 Summary

What stuns Katherine is not only the existence of the child, but also his two different colored eyes, a genetic anomaly that both Jack and Mattie possess. In fact, the baby looks, to Kathryn, exactly like Mattie at that age. There is no doubt he is Jack’s child. When Muire invites her in, she meets another child, an older girl of about four. When they sit down, Kathryn notices that the other woman is wearing a wedding ring. Muire tells her that she and Jack had been married, four and a half years ago, in the Catholic Church. Muire also confirms that she had known about Kathryn all along. She lights a cigarette, which Jack had always said he hated, and tells Kathryn the story of her relationship with Jack. They had met on a flight five years previously, had an affair, and fell in love, but Jack told her he would never leave Mattie.

Kathryn realizes, as Muire talks about her life with Jack, that the times when Jack had a terrible schedule, it was because he was arranging to spend time in London. Kathryn keeps questioning Muire, finally asking her “what happened on Jack’s plane” (222). Muire says she doesn't know, but seems to Kathryn to be lying.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 50 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools