Breath, Eyes, Memory: Chapter 31 Summary & Analysis

There are three members in Sophie’s sexual phobia support group, all of them introduced by their shared therapist, Rena. The other members are Buki, an Ethiopian college student who is a survivor of female genital mutilation, and Davina, who was raped by her grandfather for 10 years. The group meets at Davina’s house, where she has a whole room set aside for their meetings. For each session, the women wear long white dresses Buki has sewn for them, sit on heart-shaped pillows made by Davina, and recite affirmations meant to strengthen their self-confidence and transform their pain into something that makes them stronger, more empathetic, and more capable.

During one session, after Buki breaks down reading a letter she has written to her grandmother—the woman who mutilated her but also raised her—Sophie finishes reading the letter aloud, and finds that she and Buki share a lot of the same feelings toward their abusers. At the end of the session, each woman writes their abuser’s name on a piece of paper and drops it into a flame. Together, they release a balloon in the yard as a symbol of their healing. The meeting helps Sophie feel closer to healing—and determined to be a better mother than her own.

When Sophie gets home from the meeting, Joseph is excited because Brigitte has said her first word: “Dada.” He also reports that Martine and Rena called, Martine to report something “urgent” and Rena to make sure Sophie is coming to her visit the next day. Worried, Sophie calls Martine, but Martine says she just had an “urgent” desire to hear Sophie’s voice. She asks Sophie again if she’s coming this weekend, and Sophie says she is. Martine says she’s looking forward to the visit, then hangs up.