A Good Neighborhood

Xavier goes to a gun show and buys a long gun, which he does not need a permit to purchase, and a box of ammunition.

Brad is on his way to work and is thinking about Tony and Julia and looking like a fool. When he arrives, Brad does not see that Xavier is parked nearby with his gun. Xavier, who refuses to go to prison and feels hopeless, imagines shooting Brad. However, he chooses not to kill Brad. He knows that it will not help his cause to add murder to his list of charges, and he doesn’t want to fulfill a stereotype. Instead, he drives to the state park, and on the way, he notices Juniper’s note on his windshield. In the note, she explains that she is being sent away, that she knows he did not rape her, and that she loves him. He is happy that she believes he is innocent and that she loves him. Xavier arrives at the park, takes a pain pill he was prescribed for his hand, and goes into the cabin and thinks about Juniper.

While in the cabin, Xavier writes a note directing the police to where they’ll find his body. He also records a video for his mom explaining why he chose to die by suicide, and he asks Valerie to share his message and to tell Juniper that he loves her. He writes a haiku for Juniper, as well. He then dies by suicide next to the river.

On the day of Xavier’s funeral, it is hot, adding to how uncomfortable the situation is. The entire neighborhood attends, except for Brad, whom Julia had kicked out, and there is a rumor that he might be golfing. Juniper and Julia arrive, and Juniper approaches Valerie. They speak for a moment, and Juniper leaves to stand with her mother. Hundreds of people attend the funeral, and the woman presiding over the funeral begins speaking.

The author directly addresses readers with a call to action. She writes, “Start here, please, in communion with one another despite our differences, recognizing that without start there is no end” (308).

Julia throws away the picture of Brad and Juniper from the purity ball. She knows that, not only did he lie about Xavier, but he also assaulted Juniper. She decides to take her mother and daughters to live in Colorado, where she hopes to teach yoga. Brad was ordered to give more than half of his net worth to Julia, and he had to file bankruptcy.

Juniper enrolls in sociology and political science at Columbia. She often thinks of and dreams about Xavier, and she has plans to call and talk to Valerie. She wants to tell Valerie that she plans to become a district attorney, and she wants to tell Valerie about Xavier’s favorite childhood memory that he shared with her.

Valerie moves to Virginia with Chris, and she is at her new house when her beloved oak tree is cut down. She receives a letter from Everly saying that she won the lawsuit and that the builder and Brad must pay her $355,000 plus legal fees. She goes to the large pasture on her new property, where, with the help of a group of volunteer students, she is planting 18 oak trees in honor of Xavier.