The Keeper of Stars

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, mental illness, and substance use.

In May of 1962, Ellie returns to Sims Chapel for the first time in 12 years. Although the town has grown somewhat, she is still awed by its natural beauty. She broods about the proposal that she recently learned Jack intended to make on her last day in Sims Chapel in 1950 and feels that “someone [has] betrayed her” (162). Ellie is sick with nerves thinking about the likelihood that she will run into Jack soon. At breakfast the next morning, Marie tells her daughters that, before they were born, she and their father were best friends with Clara and Bill and visited them often in Sims Chapel. As she and Amelia agree that having children changes people’s lives dramatically, Ellie sadly reflects that she knows nothing about this. 

Later, Ellie takes a drive around the lake. She is shocked when she passes the charred remains of Jack’s mother’s house. She pulls in and gets out of her car to look around. Someone pulls into the driveway and gets out, calling to her that she cannot be there, as it is private property. Then, the man recognizes her: It is Jack.