60 pages • 2 hours read
Sarah DessenJust Listen
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary
At lunch each day, Annabel and Owen discuss and argue about music, then ease into other topics. She listens to Owen’s radio show every Sunday morning now, and she’s unafraid to offer her candid opinions. Though she doesn’t like techno music, Annabel is getting used to Owen’s eclectic taste and his vocabulary of anger management terms like “inflammatory language” (158). One day, he decides she needs to be exposed to more music to enlighten her, so he gives her multiple CDs he burned. The titles range from “True Hip Hop” to “Just Listen.” He tells her to start with the other CDs and work her way up to the “Just Listen” album since it’s the most “out there,” and that Annabel shouldn’t think or judge it but just listen (165). She agrees and starts listening to the CDs that week.
Annabel also gets to know Owen better. His music obsession started about two years ago when his parents went through a tumultuous divorce. Owen felt trapped in the middle of his parents, who screamed or gave each other the silent treatment. Music provided an escape for him. Annabel learns that he also works as a pizza boy and never holds back his honesty, even about how he preferred her long hair after she gets a haircut.
Annabel’s parents leave that Saturday for an architecture conference. Andrew and Grace plan to enjoy a long weekend away, but Grace is worried about leaving Whitney and Annabel alone. They finally drive away, and Whitney unloads a shopping bag from a gardening store. Whitney’s new therapist, Moira Bell, who uses unorthodox methods, has given her the assignment to grow herbs. Annabel encourages Whitney as she prepares the pots, soil, and seeds. When Whitney complains, she states that her sister can cook with the herbs, but Whitney isn’t interested in cooking or eating.
Kirsten calls and tells Annabel that one of her short films was chosen to be shown at a ceremony at her college. Annabel congratulates her, as Kirsten is proud of her film. Kirsten shares that the film is about her and Whitney, centering on a childhood moment when Whitney broke her arm and Kirsten had to carry her on her bike’s handlebars. Annabel watches Whitney arrange the herb pots in a window, liking the idea of the seeds growing unseen.
Chapter 10 Summary
Without realizing it, Annabel orders pizza from Owen’s pizza place, and she finds Whitney and Owen discussing a techno band at the door. Owen says that Annabel can’t stand techno and that she’s very honest and opinionated, but Whitney looks at her sister as though this information is far from Annabel’s character. Annabel teases Owen about techno and a pop singer who his little sister, Mallory, enjoys. After Owen leaves to deliver more pizzas, Whitney asks about him. Annabel explains they’re just friends, and when Whitney asks about Sophie, Annabel thinks of being honest due to Owen’s influence and states she had a falling out with Sophie. Whitney doesn’t press her for more information, but Annabel hopes sharing a bit of her secret may bring them closer.
The next morning, Annabel listens to Owen’s radio show, and he plays the pop singer for her. She calls him and swears she doesn’t like the singer, and he invites her to breakfast. Owen picks her up, and she and his friend/radio cohost Rolly take her to their favorite waffle house. Owen gives Annabel his jacket because she’s chilly. As they eat, Rolly explains that he works as an “attacker” at a self-defense company, and he’s in love with a girl who had the meanest right hook, but he froze when he tried to talk to her.
After Owen drops Rolly off at work, he asks Annabel to go to a show next weekend, and she accepts, wondering if it’s a date. After he drops her off at home, Annabel realizes that she’s still wearing his jacket. Owen’s iPod is in the pocket, and she explores his nearly 10,000 songs, including a playlist titled “Annabel,” which has every song they’ve discussed together.
That night, Annabel stays in with Whitney and helps her make pasta. Whitney isn’t well-versed in cooking, so she thanks Annabel for her help with the pasta, garlic bread, and salad. Annabel comments about how her plants look great in the window, and Whitney thanks her. They bond over dinner, and Annabel thinks this is progress from her withdrawn, private sister.
Chapter 11 Summary
Annabel drives to Owen’s house after dinner to return his jacket and iPod, which she predicts he will be missing. Mallory greets her excitedly at the door, dressed in a fashionable outfit, lots of makeup, and a fancy updo. Mallory welcomes her in and introduces her to her four friends, who are also dressed in different model looks, such as Daytime Casual.
Though Annabel asks for Owen, Mallory shows off her room; the walls are covered in pictures of models and celebrities. Mallory points out some shots of Annabel from her latest commercial for the department store. Her eyes are huge as she explains it’s her favorite commercial and that Annabel is the “girl who has everything” in it (212). Annabel doesn’t want to break Mallory’s heart, but she wishes to tell her that life isn’t one glamorous moment after another and that the commercial was fake. She acts as the girls’ stylist while Owen appears, holding a camera. As their official photographer, he manages the girls’ fashion show with Annabel, following the girls’ bossy orders.
Owen says he didn’t realize Mallory had pictures of Annabel posted in her room and that he sees her differently, not as a model, but as herself. Annabel knows this means smart, honest, funny, and pretty. In a moment alone, Owen snaps a photo of Annabel and smiles at it, stating that it captures how he sees her, in her natural beauty. Owen kisses her quickly. Annabel wishes it lasted longer, but one of the girls interrupts with a wardrobe question. She returns Owen’s jacket and iPod, and Mallory prints out some of the fashion show photos, handing Annabel a stack to hang in her room.
When Annabel arrives home, Whitney is writing, but she’s more talkative. She asks about her night, and Annabel shows her the photos from Mallory’s model sleepover with her friends. They discuss modeling and its pressures, and Whitney tells Annabel she’s a living icon for Mallory and her friends. Annabel hangs some of Mallory’s photos above her radio, thinking of Owen as she falls asleep.
Chapter 12 Summary
Kirsten emails Annabel her short film, which she watches multiple times. The film features two teenage girls biking through perfect suburbia, complete with golf-course-green grass, sprinklers, white fences, and dogs. After the younger girl falls and her bike spins out, leaving her with a broken arm, the older girl bikes back and helps her. As they bike home, the setting turns darker, dogs barking, the green grass fake and eerie. Annabel calls Kirsten, giving her feedback about enjoying it but not comprehending the meaning. Kirsten states it’s subjective, surprising Annabel because her sister is usually forthright and verbose but is holding back. Kirsten appreciates her reaction and readies for her showcase.
Meanwhile, Whitney works on a project from her therapist about her life’s two timelines: one of her personal history and the other of her eating disorder. She tells Annabel the stories are connected but not the same. Whitney must write through each year, and Annabel reminds her that she broke her arm at age 11, relating to Kirsten’s short film. Whitney thanks her and writes steadily. Her sister is waking up earlier, answering phones at her dad’s office, tending her plants, and completing her timeline for therapy.
Annabel and Owen listen to a new, innovative band together in a car wash because Annabel explains that all music sounds better there. As they listen, they recline in their seats, the water and music mixing. Owen kisses her intensely, and Annabel is lost in the moment. She looks forward to watching the live band with Owen that weekend after her fashion show.
Annabel prepares for the fashion show at the mall. Her parents proudly attend, as does Whitney, which shocks Annabel. Her sister looks at her sadly when she walks the runway. Two other models gossip about how Emily hooked up with Will Cash in his car the night before, and Sophie caught them. Annabel feels horrible for Emily. Eyes puffy from crying, Emily still participates in the show. Though at school she ignores Annabel, she meets her eyes at the show, and Annabel can tell that Emily has the familiar “scared, lost, confused” expression she had after her own night with Will (251).
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
Owen’s backstory is revealed, and we learn that his music obsession is linked to his parents’ ugly divorce. When he felt caught between his parents, who wanted him to take sides in arguments, music was his escape: “Everything else was ending and changing, but music was this vast resource, bottomless” (160). His interest in obscure music started then, and he says, “Nobody could tell me what I was supposed to think about it. There was no right and wrong there” (160). With music, Owen didn’t feel caught in the space between his parents, showing an underlying idea of the “middle,” the space between rather than always the extreme of right or wrong. This “middle” idea repeats in Annabel wanting to find a middle ground in conflicts that make everyone happy, as well as later when Whitney shares her writing about being the middle child caught between her two sisters’ personalities. While the middle can be a negative space in these contexts, Dessen also emphasizes that extremes can be dangerous as well, such as Sophie’s domineering jealousy or Annabel’s meekness.
When Owen gives Annabel a huge stack of CDs for her musical enlightenment, she agrees to listen to them. One of these is labeled “Just Listen,” and Owen advises that Annabel listen to it last, without judgment. This CD becomes a symbol of Annabel’s epiphany to listen to herself and use her voice to sing the truth. The “Just Listen” CD also relates to Annabel’s inner turmoil, her modeling career, and the Greenes’ glass house; the blank CD empowers her to listen and see the truth. Owen telling her to “not think or judge” but “just listen” to the CD represents that people have more depth than can be seen on the surface and people should not judge but get to know others (165). In other words, there is often a gulf between Appearances Versus Reality, and honesty is the way to bridge that gap.
Whitney’s therapist helps her grow by giving her unorthodox assignments like gardening. The buried seeds in Whitney’s planters relate to Annabel, who likes the idea of the seeds; the seeds and Annabel are growing, even though people can’t tell they are. She may seem like the same girl, but much has changed since the night with Will. Likewise, Kirsten’s film about her sister shows that she’s trying to heal their relationship, even though they’re not speaking. Kirsten learning to effectively communicate and listen more relates back to Owen’s CD and allows Annabel to voice her concerns, thoughts, and feelings as well. This shows a change from Kirsten’s previous overly talkative nature.
In terms of the romance genre, Annabel finding the playlist on Owen’s iPod labeled ANNABEL is a sign of love that speaks to her heart. Of Owen’s “9,987” songs and playlists, he created one for her. She’s too curious to resist listening. Every song they’ve ever discussed, starting with the first one she listened to on his radio show, is on the playlist. Annabel is touched that she is part of his greatest passion: “As I listened to a bit of each, I thought of all the times I’d seen Owen with his earphones on and wondered what he might be listening to, much less thinking about. Who would have ever guessed that it might have been me” (203)? The time, care, and effort he put into the playlist reveal that Owen values his relationship with Annabel. His romantic gesture sparks their first kiss in Owen’s house after she returns his iPod and admits she listened to her playlist.
At Owen’s house, Annabel also visits Mallory’s room, which is covered in fashion ads, including Annabel’s commercial. Mallory idolizes Annabel’s character but doesn’t understand that it isn’t reality. Annabel struggles with this view of her and wants to confide “That I was far from the girl who had everything; that I wasn’t even that girl in the pictures, if I ever had been” (212). Though Annabel would never ruin Mallory’s innocent, imaginative viewpoint, she knows that real life isn’t like her commercial and that her life has been devastating ever since Will raped her. Again, Appearances Versus Reality and sharing the truth rise as themes in these pages.
When Owen and Annabel discuss how her family can’t tell when she’s upset, compared to Kirsten’s dramatic outbursts and Whitney’s quiet sulking, the pattern of her family not knowing her true self comes to light. Whitney not believing Owen when he states Annabel is opinionated and upfront shows that people can be secretive with those closest to them. Annabel isn’t opinionated and candid with her family, but she is with Owen. Unlike Annabel and Whitney, Owen doesn’t hide from the world, releasing his thoughts and feelings rather than letting them fester. Annabel makes some progress toward openness, though, when she admits to Whitney that she and Sophie had a falling out in the spring. She doesn’t tell Whitney why, but they become closer through sharing and cooking together. Food is a central topic for Whitney, and her eating habits improve with her cooking skills and growing plants.
The connected, deeper looks from Emily at the fashion show—and later, Whitney at her reading—express that they know the truth of their situations. Annabel’s empathy and the realization that Emily was also hurt by Will connect them through their shared trauma without even speaking (which relates to Kirsten’s idea about not explaining the message of her film). Sometimes, an action can speak louder than words, such as Emily’s meaningful look of familiar sadness, confusion, and loss at the fashion show. The themes of communication and truth/honesty repeat in these chapters, and Dessen explores the different ways that speaking up can occur.
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