SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
Chapters 43-45: Sam and Grace
Olivia returns to school and talks to Grace about Jack after Grace confronts her about the photos. Grace tells Olivia that she was bitten by the wolves, but she never changed, despite what Jack said about her being cured.
After school, Sam asks Grace to go somewhere with him, somewhere out of town. They head toward Duluth to visit a candy shop Sam knew. Sam asks Grace to really smell the shop, not just the chocolate, but the ingredients themselves. Sam buys them hot chocolate, and the girl behind the counter asks how long they’ve been together. “Six years”; and both of them learn how long they’ve really cared for each other. When they leave the shop, they see ripped cloths and a pair of fresh paw prints in the snow.
On the way back from Duluth, Sam’s phone rings, which Grace didn’t even know he had. Beck wanted to know if Sam was ok since it was so cold, and to try to make Sam understand what he’d done. Grace admits that she wants to meet Beck. Sam tells Grace the story of how he was bitten, though now he sees it in a completely different light. They get back to Grace’s empty house, where they go straight to bed, but do very little sleeping. Later Grace wakes up to a phone ringing, and picks it up before she realizes it’s Sam’s. Beck is calling to tell Sam that Paul has been very badly hurt, and it had to be a wolf that did it. Beck asks Sam to come, and tells Grace (whose name he doesn’t know yet) that he wants to meet her.
Memorable Quotes:
“His sad eyes implored me to explore something I’d left untouched for years. Something more than untouched-something I’d buried alive.” (279)
“I wasn’t quite bold enough to look at either of them when I admitted, ‘Well, it was love at first sight” (282)
“She looked beautiful, moonlit, tempting, smelling of peppermint and soap and skin.” (292)
Questions for consideration:
Why did Sam never realize Beck bit him on purpose until now? What does this change?
Why is it so important for beck to meet Grace?
More here.
