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70 pages 2 hours read

Beth O'Leary

The Flatshare

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

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Part 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 4: “July”

Part 4, Chapter 17 Summary: “Tiffy”

Tiffy comes home to a letter from Richie that tells the whole story of how he ended up in prison. He and some friends were out drinking at a bar, and there were some people there who apparently belonged to a gang, which Richie didn’t realize until he told his story to the other men in prison and they recognized his descriptions. Richie caught the eye of one of the women who was with the group, and later, in the bathroom, her boyfriend threatened Richie if he looked at her again. Richie was drunk and ended up flirting with the girl and kissing her later in the night. 

When he was walking home, Richie stopped at a convenience store, bought cigarettes and beer, and went home. One of the gang members came in right after Richie left and robbed the store at knifepoint. Richie insists that there was no way he could have gone in, made his purchase, left, and come back two minutes later with a hoodie over his head and balaclava on. He also notes that he was drunk and would not have been able to walk properly or pull a knife from his pocket the way the actual culprit did. He was arrested at work two days later, not knowing anything about the robbery. 

Richie writes that his trial was completely mismanaged; the lone witness was the girl running the register at the store, and she confirmed that the robber was Richie. His lawyer, Sal, asked questions that didn’t give him the opportunity to explain or defend himself, and the prosecution painted him as violent, with a history of getting into fights. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for armed robbery, and so far, Sal has not done much to appeal the decision. 

Tiffy is upset by Richie’s story and immediately goes to Gerty, who is a lawyer, to ask if she can read the letter and give some advice on the case. Gerty agrees and asks to see the trial transcript, but she doesn’t want Tiffy to tell Leon, lest he get his hopes up.

Part 4, Chapter 18 Summary: “Leon”

Before visiting Richie, Leon visits the first Johnny White on his list, telling him that he is looking into the family history of a friend, Robert Prior. He asks if he knew him when he served in World War II. This Johnny White is a large man who loves to play the piano, and he tells Leon about how he got a bullet lodged in his stomach during the war. He does not recognize the name Robert Prior. Leon asks if Johnny had ever been married, and he tells him that the woman he loved, Sally, died in an air raid during the war and he’d never been in love since. 

Later, Leon tells Kay about the visit, and she laughs, saying that Leon would only be friends with old people if he could. She is not that interested in his pursuit of Mr. Prior’s lost love, and she is annoyed that Leon wants to spend his weekends visiting various Johnny Whites instead of with her. They agree to talk later, and she asks him to text her when he’s on the train back. He promises to but knows that he probably won’t.

Part 4, Chapter 19 Summary: “Tiffy”

Tiffy meets with Martin and Katherin about Katherin’s upcoming book launch party. Katherin asks what happens at book launch parties, and Martin tells her that he and Tiffy will take her to another one of their client’s parties in a couple weeks so she can see. 

She and Katherin head to St. Mark’s hospice so that Katherin can do her demonstration. Tiffy asks around for Leon, and everyone points her in a different direction. She is surprised that they all seem to know who she is. She doesn’t find Leon before the demonstration. While she’s in front of the patients, she sees a small girl—Holly—looking right at her with a big smile on her face.

Part 4, Chapter 20 Summary: “Leon”

Tiffy left Leon a letter for Richie in response to his own; she asked him to read it before passing it along. Leon has not read it yet because he is worried that she will be judgmental and think Richie is a violent criminal like the judge and everyone else. 

He gets to the hospice just before the crochet event, and a coworker tells him that his “friend” has arrived and that she’s lovely. Leon pulls the letter from his pocket, thinking he should read it so that he knows what she said when he sees her. 

He reads the letter and finds that not only does Tiffy believe that Richie is innocent, but she also wants to help him. She has asked her friend Gerty to review his case, and Gerty has also enclosed a note saying that she has reviewed his case and has found several things his attorney should do to pursue an appeal. She asks several questions and gives a few pieces of legal advice in her letter.

Part 4, Chapter 21 Summary: “Tiffy”

After Katherin finishes her demonstration, Tiffy passes out crochet hooks and yarn to the patients. The young girl asks if she is Tiffy. Holly tells her that she knew she’d be pretty and asks if she’s nice too. Tiffy jokes that she’s actually horrible, and Holly doesn’t believe her. Holly is not interested in learning to crochet but does want to talk about Leon; she says that she told Leon she’d tell him if Tiffy is pretty. Tiffy insists that they’re just friends and don’t really need to know or care about what each other looks like. 

Martin interrupts them, asking if he can take a picture of Tiffy with the “leukemia girl” for publicity. Holly overhears him and says her mom won’t give permission for a photo, and she and Tiffy both agree that Martin is awful. Holly takes Tiffy around the ward to find Leon and Mr. Prior, but only Mr. Prior is there. He tells her that she’s missed Leon but that he did see him reading a letter earlier and he looked quite emotional.

Part 4, Chapter 22 Summary: “Leon”

After reading Tiffy’s letter, Leon is overwhelmed with gratitude at Tiffy’s compassion and Gerty’s generosity. These women he’s never met have given him more help and support than anyone else in his life, including Kay.

He calls Kay to tell her the good news, and she is annoyed, saying that Sal did the best he could and that a new lawyer isn’t going to change anything. It’s clear that she believes Richie is guilty, and she is angry that Leon doesn’t want to spend more time with her.

Leon decides that he can’t be with someone who doesn’t also love Richie, and Leon finds it clear that Kay doesn’t. Kay says, “This is it, isn’t it?” (107), and they break up.

Part 4, Chapter 23 Summary: “Tiffy”

Tiffy arrives home to find a longer-than-usual note apologizing for not coming to find her at the hospice event and thanking her and Gerty for their support with Richie. Tiffy notices that Leon has left his dinner uneaten and that his note is the longest one he’s ever left for her; she wonders if he’s ok. 

Later, Tiffy talks to Rachel at work about how long it’s been since she’s had sex (nine months) and whether she’s ready to date again. She gets ready to go to a book launch party for a Norwegian hermit who has written a book on woodworking. They will be attending the event with Martin and Katherin so that she can see what these types of events are like in preparation for her own. 

Tiffy has a few drinks at the party and talks with a handsome man for a while before finding out that he is the author for whom the party is being held. They go out to the garden to continue flirting, and the author, Ken, kisses her. The kiss triggers a memory of Justin that causes Tiffy’s body to go cold.

Part 4 Analysis

Tiffy continues to struggle with The Long Process of Recovering from Emotional Abuse, experiencing an overwhelming flashback while kissing a man at a book party. She starts to worry that she won’t be able to have a normal relationship with another man. As she gets to know Leon more, she becomes more proactive in seeking help to overcome her trauma. She talks to Mo when the “rememberings” happen, slowly warming to his explanations and validation. She may not be trying to heal explicitly because she wants to be with Leon, but he is providing her with a safe and understanding environment, which has helped her be more successful with this process.

Throughout July, Tiffy meets several people important to Leon, several of whom think she would be good for him. She forms a friendship with Leon’s brother, and her openness and compassion for him contrast sharply with Kay’s impatience and dismissive attitude about Richie’s innocence. Tiffy’s empathy for Richie, someone she’s never met, helps him realize that needs his partner to care about the things he cares about, especially his family. His clarity about this need facilitates his breakup with Kay.

In addition to Richie, Tiffy sees how special Mr. Prior and Holly are, too, contrasting with Kay’s teasing Leon about only wanting to spend time with old or sick people. Mr. Prior and Holly both know that Tiffy and Leon should be together, and their strength and joy for life illustrate the theme of The Rewards of Taking Risks in Life and Love. Leon seems to understand this concept of not taking life for granted in the context of Holly and Mr. Prior’s lives; during this section of the book, he starts hunting down Johnny White, Mr. Prior’s old flame, but he does not yet realize he needs to take this advice to heart for himself. Holly and Mr. Prior both encourage Tiffy and Leon to tell each other how they feel when they—but especially Leon—need a nudge in the right direction.

Within five months of living in Leon’s flat, and without having met him once, Tiffy has connected with the people who Leon loves, and because they love her in return, he knows that she is a special person before they do finally meet.

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