64 pages • 2 hours read
Marieke NijkampThis Is Where It Ends
Marieke NijkampFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 4-6 Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
Chapter 4 covers from 10:05-10:07 a.m. Tomas wonders why it’s so quiet and the hallways are empty then hears “two loud cracks tear through the air” (33). He knows he has to help his sister, Sylv. In the auditorium, Tyler Browne opens fire. Many students and teachers, including Principal Trenton and the librarian, are killed. “Tyler is back” (34), Sylva thinks to herself numerous times, raising the question of what happened in the past between Sylv and Tyler. Meanwhile, Autumn remembers tender moments with her brother, Tyler, the shooter: “Once, he caught Dad’s belt on his bare arm to stop it from coming down on me” (42).
Meanwhile, when Claire and the track team hear shots outside, the track coach comically stares at the track gun like it went off by itself. Claire delegates to her fellow track teammates. Despite the school being state of the art, and only five years old, they discuss getting to a nearby payphone. Claire and Chris run towards the local gas station for help. The chapter concludes with Tyler firing a shot into the ceiling, and saying: “Please stay where you are” (43). A silence descends on the auditorium, prompting Autumn to think, “we’re all captives now” (43). The tweets at the end of the chapter suggest a comic tone, demonstrating confusion about how news spreads in the opening minutes of the tragedy.
Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter 5 opens with Tomas overhearing Fareed’s call to 911 for help. The chapter traces from 10:07-10:10 a.m., further developing the narrative arc of Sylv and Autumn’s relationship, while introducing a new central nerve of tension to that relationship, and providing backstory that characterizes Sylv’s current dilemma, as well as the fact that Claire once dated Tyler.
Claire and Chris discover Tyler’s car parked across three spots in the parking lot, then find ammunition boxes, and discover the security guard, Jonah, is dead. Just before they find Jonah, Nijkamp provides backstory that characterizes Jonah as a caring guard, who went out of his way to help Claire when her brother, Matt, was in the hospital.
Aside from Tyler shooting a student who has hesitated when Tyler demands the student lock the auditorium doors, the central moment in this chapter is Sylv’s recollection of Tyler kicking her in the stomach the previous summer. That day, Sylv and Autumn were together in the cornfields near Autumn’s home, when Tyler accuses Sylv of corrupting his sister. Tyler also says Sylv’s brother, Tomas, has some part in the trouble between Sylv and Tyler: “When I tried to roll over and crawl away from him, his boot found my stomach, and I doubled over” (53). During this incident, Tyler talks bitterly about his being abandoned by his family. This marks further characterization of Tyler, as Nijkamp develops the portrait of a shooter and how his actions connect to the four narrators.
Chapter 6 Summary
In Chapter 6, which spans 10:10-10:12 a.m., Tyler holds students captive in the auditorium. They scatter in different directions as Tyler stalks through the auditorium and makes his way to the stage, demanding they listen to his speech. Teachers on the flank decide whether or not to approach Tyler. “I wanted to fit in here” (72) Tyler says, and promises, “If you cooperate, some of you might go home today” (73).
Meanwhile, Sylv’s pain over her mother's sickness deepens, and she wonders if her brother Tomas is okay. Tomas and Fareed debate staying in Principal Trenton’s office or roaming the hallways, as Tomas notes a stoicism and bravery he has not noticed before in his friend Fareed. Autumn wonders what happened that her brother Tyler is doing such a horrible thing. She fears Tyler will find her in the crowd. As this all occurs, Claire refuses to believe Tyler capable of committing such cruelty. Her nostalgia creates moments of empathy, as Nijkamp explores Tyler’s story through other’s perspectives. Claire recalls: “Ty stroked the palm of my hand with my head against his chest, the words rumbled in my ear. I won’t let the army steal my girl and force her to be someone she doesn’t want to be” (66).
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
In these chapters, the benefits of Nijkamp’s structure become clear. Condensing each chapter into a few minutes allows Nijkamp to pause time for the sake of developing character. During these pauses, each narrator expresses their thoughts and reflects on their recent history. As This Is Where It Ends progresses, Nijkamp explores how each character connects the trauma of the school shooting to other circumstances in their lives. As the connections between Claire, Sylv, Autumn, and Tyler crystallize, the book becomes about more than a singular shooting. It’s becoming clear that the book is providing an intimate history about the complexities of interpersonal relationships, and how fraught and damaged they can become, in turn building on themselves and creating larger tragedies.
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