61 pages • 2 hours read
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces
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November 17-January 14/15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
November 17-January 14/15 Summary
Gabi reads a poem about her grandmother’s death to her class and receives mixed reactions. Martin defends Gabi’s poem by explaining its unconventional expression of thanks for someone no longer suffering.
When Eric directs an insensitive comment at Sebastian for being gay, Gabi lets Eric walk away fuming, choosing to stick by Sebastian’s side with Cindy. Gabi doesn’t see Eric again for nine days because Thanksgiving break means that school is out, but when she does see him again she isn’t excited to be his girlfriend anymore. She considers ditching school to smoke weed with Sebastian and Pedro, something she’s never done before, but decides to stay in class because “one drug addict is enough in our house, thank you” (96). Gabi is relieved to have made the right decision when the boys are caught smoking and Pedro is arrested.
Gabi admits to herself that she doesn’t have much of a connection with Eric, but she wants to work things out. When she spots Eric kissing Sandra at the mall, though, she again takes refuge in poetry before calling Eric out and breaking off their relationship. Beto is with Gabi when she sees Eric at the mall, and he takes out his own revenge by denting and scratching Eric’s car. Immediately after Gabi breaks up with Eric, Joshua Moore (the subject of her first heartbreak haiku) asks her on a date. Gabi’s mother warns her that she shouldn’t go from one boy immediately to another. Gabi is excited and admits that she may be a little “boy crazy” (106), but figures, “I am not Josh’s girlfriend, and I am definitely not Eric’s girlfriend anymore, so I am free as a bird” (107). Josh ends up cancelling their date because he has to work, but Gabi isn’t too disappointed because Martin asks her to workshop poems together. When Martin comes over, he and Gabi spend time getting to know one another before working on poems. Martin helps Gabi work on a poem about her father and they agree to attend a poetry night together after Christmas break.
The day after Christmas, Gabi receives a box of carefully selected gifts from a secret admirer. She is sure it is from Martin because it includes so many poetry references, but she is quickly distracted when her father goes missing and is located at a hospital a couple of days later. When Gabi returns to school from winter break, she intentionally wears the shirt from her admirer’s gift box, but Martin doesn’t say anything about being the one who sent it. Gabi grows confused over whether Martin likes her, so she invites Cindy and Sebastian to come along to the poetry reading with her. At the poetry reading, Martin holds Gabi’s hand, and their poetry teacher Ms. Abernard comes to support them in their reading. Gabi reads the poem about her dad and is nervous as she begins her reading, but something comes over her: “I got so lost in the poem—and in getting all the emotions out that came with it—that I forgot where I was” (137). Gabi again takes a risk and kisses Martin, and the two decide to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Gabi gets home late and can’t help but write a poem about the poetry reading.
November 17-January 14/15 Analysis
Just as Gabi is learning how complicated relationships can be, she also begins to experience how complicated language can be when her poem is met with mixed reactions from her classmates. This blurred line between what is okay to say and what is not will continue appearing throughout the story. Learning to navigate the complicated space between good and bad, right and wrong, is part of Gabi’s development from teenager to adult. Martin coming to Gabi’s defense foreshadows the supportive role he’ll continue to play in Gabi’s development throughout the story.
Gabi’s poetry grows more complex, and so do her feelings about Eric and Martin. She recognizes that Eric’s behavior doesn’t align with her values, but she’s not sure how to fix or end the relationship. Seeing Eric kissing another girl makes the decision easy for Gabi, while also creating a moment in which Beto demonstrates his supportive side for his sister. Although Gabi and Beto don’t always get along and there is a lot of tension in their home, they’ll continue supporting one another in their most vulnerable moments in the story.
Gabi’s relationship with Martin is different from her relationship with Eric in nearly every way, offering a clear contrast to show readers that no two relationships are the same. With Eric, Gabi tried to overlook character flaws and incompatible values because she wanted to give Eric a chance. With Martin, though, Gabi gets to know him beyond a physical attraction before they are entangled in a relationship with boyfriend-girlfriend titles. Unlike with Eric, Gabi feels comfortable enough with Martin to share her father’s background. They also share their interest in poetry, and Martin supports and encourages Gabi as she continues to develop as a writer.
The poetry reading on the night of January 14 is a significant plot point in the story. Gabi—surrounded and supported by her two best friends, her soon-to-be boyfriend, and her English teacher—takes a vulnerable step in sharing her poem about her father at a public reading. Taking this step solidifies her identity as a writer, especially when Ms. Abernard tells her, “Never stop writing. You have a gift that many would like to have” (137). It’s also significant that Gabi’s parents are not there to support this major step in her writing development, foreshadowing the divide that will grow between Gabi and her mother as adulthood, independence, and college get closer. In this moment in Gabi’s growth as a writer, she draws inspiration from her family’s experience while simultaneously embracing the support of a new family of poets and friends.
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