51 pages • 1 hour read
Magnolia Parks
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Chapters 13-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia reflects on the fact that she went to the club because she wanted to see BJ. She was confused by the tender moment they had previously shared, and the sight of him with the other girl hurts her. Now, Tom England approaches her. He is considered London’s most eligible bachelor, and Magnolia once had a crush on him when she was a girl. Tom observes that BJ is an idiot when it comes to Magnolia. He invites her to go a different club, and Tom asks if Magnolia ever tires of the attention that results from her socialite lifestyle. She jokingly points out the photographer trailing her. Tom observes that BJ and Magnolia both hurt one another. He proposes that he become her fake boyfriend—her “foxhole”—but she warns him that she will not have sex with him. He kisses her, and a camera flashes. In a text exchange, Magnolia tells BJ’s brother, Henry, to let BJ know that she had sex with Tom England.
Chapter 14 Summary: “BJ”
BJ wakes up next to a girl with whom he had a one-night stand and is upset when his friends tell him that Magnolia had sex with Tom England. BJ is fearful because Tom has never hurt Magnolia, and her desire for him makes sense. His friends and his brother advise him to talk to her.
Chapter 15 Summary: “BJ”
BJ drives to Magnolia’s house and goes to her room. When he asks her about the weather, she doesn’t answer. She is angry with him about the random girl he was dating, so she tells him that she is now romantically involved with Tom England. BJ thinks about the family signet ring that he gave her; she never gave it back and now wears it on a chain. One Christmas, she gave him her family ring as well. Now, Magnolia admits that she once wondered what these other girls provide that she cannot. She reflects contemptuously on his sexual promiscuity and decides that he makes her look like a fool. BJ protests that he would never do anything to hurt her, and Bridget points out that he sleeps with other women and tells her about it with the sole intention of making her sad.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia reflects that fake-dating Tom England does not cure her resentment for BJ, but it does level the playing field. Today, their neighbor is at breakfast, and she tells Magnolia that she wants to win a gossip contest for which the prize is a Chanel bag. To help the girl’s cause, Magnolia tells her that she and BJ broke up because he cheated on her. Magnolia reflects that Marsaili used to love BJ but eventually turned on him. She and Marsaili discuss Magnolia’s decision to date Tom England. In a text message, Marsaili refers to Tom as Magnolia’s “toyfriend” (123).
Chapter 17 Summary: “BJ”
BJ is spending time with yet another girl. She offers him cocaine, and he declines. He sees comments on his Instagram feed, and then reads the news articles announcing that he cheated on Magnolia. BJ is initially convinced that Magnolia would never have said anything about their breakup, but he realizes that he “broke her first” (127).
Chapter 18 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia meets with Tom. She takes him shopping and enjoys spending time with him, reflecting that he is a man, while BJ and her friends are boys. Two girls ask Magnolia about BJ, prompting Tom to ask how often strangers approach her like that. She admits that it happens about once a day. Magnolia feels attracted to Tom, and he kisses her.
Chapter 19 Summary: “BJ”
BJ tracks down Magnolia where she is having lunch with Paili. He believes that she is relieved to see him. He is crushed that she publicized the fact that he cheated on her. Jonah is also present; he challenges Magnolia, saying that if she doesn’t have feelings for BJ, then she shouldn’t care about his current sexual partners. BJ perceives that the exchange is hurting Magnolia. Although she insists that she doesn’t care about him, BJ sees that she is still wearing his necklace.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia brings Tom to dinner with her friends and shows him off, and BJ tries to needle him. BJ looks afraid, and Magnolia wants to soothe him but chooses not to. Tom never went to boarding school, so the others explain how they became a family unit of sorts. Magnolia explains that her friends went with her to Paris for a getaway when her parents forgot about her 16th birthday. She reflects on how much her friends mean to her, particularly BJ, who “would make [her] fearless and safe and hopeful all at once” (143), and then strip her of those things. After dinner, Magnolia texts BJ to ask him about the weather report.
Chapter 21 Summary: “BJ”
BJ picks Magnolia up from work and drives her home. They look hard into one another’s eyes, and he wonders for a moment if a relationship between them could actually work. He wants to kiss her. She invites him to stay over.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia and BJ resume spending time together. Magnolia reflects on the first time they had sex. On that occasion, BJ booked a room at the Mandarin Oriental. She reflects, “That’s where we’re constantly trying to revert to, I think. To a place from before we began killing each other for our hearts to stay alive” (152). Tom walks into Magnolia’s bedroom while BJ is lying in bed with her and observes that their habit of sharing a bed is weird, given their circumstances. Magnolia anxiously texts BJ after he leaves, and he reassures her that the weather shows clear skies.
Chapter 23 Summary: “BJ”
BJ watches Magnolia with Tom at the Chelsea Flower Show and worries that she might be falling in love with him. Magnolia makes fun of Taura Sax’s outfit and gets angry when BJ defends Taura, who is a friend. BJ thinks that Magnolia doesn’t notice when people watch her. He informs Tom that Magnolia always knows what people are wearing. BJ watches as Magnolia meets Tom’s parents and worries that he might be losing her.
BJ feels like he is bleeding and desperately asks Jonah for a hit of cocaine. BJ sends Magnolia a garbled text exchange and later apologizes for this lapse. She asks if he was intoxicated with alcohol; he lies and confirms this, not wanting to admit that he used cocaine.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia feels nervous about meeting Tom and his family at the Mandarin Oriental because it feels like the place belongs to her and BJ. She meets Clara England, the widow of Tom’s brother, Sam, and entertains the table by declaring that Elton John is her godfather. Magnolia catches a look that passes between Tom and Clara, and Tom later confesses that he is in love with Clara. Magnolia realizes that she is Tom’s foxhole, too. She trusts Tom and feels safe with him, but she wants to hurt him for loving Clara.
Chapter 25 Summary: “BJ”
BJ agrees when Magnolia asks him to join her on a romantic getaway. He knows that even if he could figure out how to move on from his connection to her, he wouldn’t choose to. He drives them to Cornwall, and they joke together. At the spa that she recommended to her father, Magnolia sees her father and Marsaili in a booth together, kissing. Magnolia confronts them and demands to know how long their affair has been going on. Marsaili says that it has lasted for six years.
Chapter 26 Summary: “BJ”
BJ is worried for Magnolia because she has always looked up to Marsaili. Magnolia asks him about the night that he overdosed, and he promises that he wasn’t trying to kill himself. He stays with her at another hotel because he knows that Magnolia “[d]oesn’t like to be alone with her thoughts” (186).
Chapter 27 Summary: “Magnolia”
Bridget enters while Magnolia is packing for a getaway. Bridget suspects that their mother is dating a French man and that she only married Harley because she was pregnant with Magnolia. When Marsaili enters, Magnolia refuses to talk to her. The narrative explains that because Marsaili told Magnolia not to resume her relationship with BJ, Magnolia ran to her first fake boyfriend, after which BJ overdosed and nearly died. Magnolia now blames Marsaili for this chain of events. Tom arrives and asks to join Magnolia’s getaway. Harley enters, furious about the fact that his affair is now in the news. Tom tries to intervene, and Harley pushes Tom, who falls, knocking Magnolia over. Because of the fall, she cuts her hand on a lamp.
Chapter 28 Summary: “BJ”
Tom drives Magnolia to BJ’s and asks him to take care of her. Tom says that he will fly them out on their planned getaway.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Magnolia”
Magnolia brings her friends to Monemvasia, a small island town in Greece. BJ is annoyed when Tom arranged to share a room with Magnolia. Magnolia doesn’t want to end her relationship with Tom yet, but she asks BJ to spend the next day with her.
Chapter 30 Summary: “BJ”
Dinner at the hotel restaurant is tense when the boys joke about the fact that Magnolia had a nanny when she was at boarding school, claiming that they now know the reason. Then they joke about orgasms that they have had in public, and Christian, who is drunk, tells everyone about the time he gave Magnolia an orgasm when they were together. BJ is upset, but Tom joins him for a shot, and BJ tells him that Christian and Magnolia dated briefly. Magnolia sends an accusatory text to Christian.
Chapters 13-30 Analysis
These chapters intensify the conflict by playing out the push-pull dynamics between Magnolia and BJ, elaborating on the constant dance of attraction and resistance that they share. Their antagonism creates tension among their mutual friends, and this dynamic only intensifies when Magnolia introduces Tom England to the group, further highlighting the issues involved in Navigating the Complexities of Multiple Romantic Partners. While BJ continues to exhibit self-destructive behavior in his impulsive decision to escape his emotions via alcohol, drug use, and sex, Tom acts as BJ’s foil and opposite, demonstrating the maturity, self-control, and insight that BJ lacks. Tom also has a profession and a range of valuable skills. However, despite these key differences, Tom shares BJ and Magnolia’s insecurities, for he also believes that the person he truly loves—Clara—feels unattainable. Stymied by the knowledge that Clara is his brother’s widow, Tom holds back his true feelings, and this unresolved inner conflict emphasizes the torments of forbidden love. Christian further amplifies this theme as his remarks at dinner indicate that his jealousy of Magnolia and his resentment over the fact that she dates other men.
Within the intricacies of BJ and Magnolia’s ongoing conflict, her refusal to have penetrative sex with other men implies that her sexual loyalty to BJ is evidence that she would prefer to have a full relationship with him rather than with her other prospects, such as Tom. Significantly, Tom represents the second real rival BJ has had for Magnolia’s affections, the first being Christian. The protagonists’ mutual desire for greater intimacy is further demonstrated by their habit of sharing a bed for sleeping; this is something that BJ chooses not to do with his other sexual partners, and their largely platonic connection also heightens the ongoing sexual tension between them. In the midst of these dynamics, Tom poses an obstacle to this intimacy in more ways than one, as represented by his insistence that he and Magnolia share a bed in Greece. These inconsistencies further highlight The Dynamics of Loyalty and Betrayal, especially given the fact that Tom contributes his own thread to the theme of tangled alliances by revealing his attraction to his brother’s widow. Because this fixation has fueled his more superficial a relationship with Magnolia, these new developments add further confusion to a deeply problematic situation.
While the protagonists still have a great deal to learn about life and romance, Magnolia nonetheless demonstrates a developing self-awareness when she understands that her own wish not to be alone causes her attraction to Tom even though she is still in love with BJ. For the first time, she is able to communicate to BJ how deeply his infidelity and his sexual behavior hurts her, and she is also able to admit to herself that she clings to the hope that they still might have a change to genuinely reconnect with each other.
These interpersonal developments unfold against a high-profile social backdrop that pointedly emphasizes The Costs of Celebrity Status. For example, Magnolia’s one true skill is her ability to identify designer apparel, and this dynamic highlights the conventional association between young female socialites and the arbitrary world of fashion. Although she jokes to Tom that she values material possessions, her assessments of everyone’s wardrobe shows that she does indeed value the status symbol of designer apparel and use it as a rubric to judge others. Despite BJ’s observation that she doesn’t notice the attention she constantly receives, the narrative makes it clear that Magnolia often revels in her status as a well-known socialite. When she is in the club with Tom, she knows exactly where the photographer has been sitting and how long he has been following her. She is also able to use public interest to her advantage, as when she punishes her father and BJ for their respective infidelities. Thus, Magnolia derives a sense of validation from the public attention that she receives, but it is clear that she also confuses this attention with self-worth. The regard of the public gaze is both the cost of her lifestyle and also the element that maintains it, for the attention becomes a self-sustaining cycle.
The Dynamics of Loyalty and Betrayal emerge in these chapters as well, highlighting the complex interplay of tangled interests amongst friends and family. Bridget and Henry, showing care for their respective siblings, serve as observers of BJ’s behavior and reflect on his motives and consequences with a clarity that BJ lacks. Similarly, Magnolia considers her boarding school friends to be a vital found family that cares for her in ways that her parents do not. However, the intensity of this loyalty confuses and complicates the libidinal bonds among the group. This intensity also deepens the damaging effects of certain betrayals, as indicated by Magnolia’s anguish over BJ’s infidelity and BJ’s resentment over her past involvement with Christian. Even more importantly, Marsaili’s long-term affair with Magnolia’s father represents a betrayal on two levels: the betrayal of the family unit, and Magnolia’s loss of trust in the most constant mother figure she has ever known. The novel therefore questions whether such emotional injuries can be forgiven and overcome and suggests that some emotional wounds may prove too grievous to heal.
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