48 pages • 1 hour read
Wild Eyes
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Chapters 20-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 20 Summary: “Skylar”
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of explicit sexual content.
The next morning, Skylar ignores emails from her dad and Jerry about her new album. She takes a walk, spying on West as he works at the barn, and she reflects on last night and her feelings for him.
That evening, Skylar and West run into each other at the barn while he’s working with the horses. They start flirting again, and Skylar tries to understand what is happening between them. She wants to respect the space he needs “for him and his kids” (226), but she also asks to join him when he plans to use the canoe.
On the moonlit lake, Skylar and West talk about their homes and lives. Skylar silently realizes that she doesn’t like her two homes in LA and Nashville. They talk about their fears, too. Skylar admits to being afraid that people will discover that she is irrelevant. West reveals that he is afraid of impermanence. Skylar moves toward West and kisses him. This time, he kisses her back. The kiss intensifies, but when West tries lifting Skylar, the canoe tips over. When they surface, they’re both laughing.
Chapter 21 Summary: “West”
West and Skylar swim back to shore and drag in the canoe. On land, West tries controlling his feelings as he helps Skylar to relatch her bra. They walk back to the house. West considers inviting her to spend the night with him, but Skylar starts talking first. She acknowledges how good their kiss was but insists that she doesn’t want to intrude on his family life and suggests that they take a step back. West can’t help but feel disappointed.
Chapter 22 Summary: “West”
Emmy and Oliver return home and find Skylar’s clothes in the laundry room. West explains that she has been staying in the guest room. Skylar insists on returning to the bunkhouse to give them their space. That afternoon, the kids invite her to go fishing with them. After dinner, the family begs Skylar to stay in the house instead of sleeping in the bunkhouse.
Chapter 23 Summary: “Skylar”
Skylar reports to Wild Rose for her meeting with Ford and Cora. Cora doesn’t like any of the prospective lyricists and encourages Skylar to try writing her own songs.
Over the following days, Skylar tries writing some songs. Feeling discouraged one day, she walks out to the tree, where she runs into Oliver. A writer himself, Oliver gives Skylar some pointers and writes the first line of a new song for her.
Later, Emmy knocks on Skylar’s door. She heard about how Skylar and West met and wants to give Skylar some bear safety tips. They start talking about Skylar’s songs and how happy she makes West. She then shows Skylar West’s t-shirt with Skylar’s face on it. They keep talking until they fall asleep in Skylar’s bed.
Chapter 24 Summary: “West”
West discovers Emmy sleeping in Skylar’s bed the next morning. A while later, Skylar surfaces, wearing his t-shirt and teasing him for liking her music. Then she makes breakfast for everyone. When the kids go upstairs to get dressed, West grabs and kisses Skylar, telling her what he wants to do to her when they sleep together. He insists that he wants her despite what he said before. The kids are going to Mia’s soon, at which point he and Skylar can be alone together. They pull away from each other when the kids return.
Emmy announces that tomorrow is the town fair and that West has to attend. West realizes that he promised Doris he would participate in the bachelor auction for charity. He and Skylar make eye contact, realizing they’ll have to wait to have sex.
Chapter 25 Summary: “Skylar”
Skylar spends time alone, thinking about West and her writing. The next day, she accompanies the family to the fair. She’s worried about the auction, although she doesn’t know why she cares whether someone buys a date with West. During the event, she listens as the women bid higher and higher for him. Finally, she wins by placing a $10,000 bid.
Chapter 26 Summary: “West”
West tries to find Skylar after the auction but gets caught talking to Bree. He reminds her that their relationship is over, trying to be as clear and polite as possible. Then he races around, searching for Skylar and cursing himself for trashing her phone. Finally, he races home, finding her on the swing near the house. He gets upset when she ignores him and refuses to answer his questions. Skylar finally snaps back, tired of having to defend her actions and ashamed that she has “made a fool of [her]self” (291) at the fair. West dismisses her concerns and kisses her. Then they have sex on the hood of his car.
Chapter 27 Summary: “Skylar”
Skylar gives herself over to sex with West. She’s overwhelmed by how good he makes her feel. After they both climax, West carries Skylar into the house to have sex again.
Chapter 28 Summary: “West”
West and Skylar have sex several more times in the kitchen. Afterward, he makes her a grilled cheese sandwich. She exclaims over the food, as no one has ever made her a sandwich like this before. Then she asks about his tattoos, and he explains each one. The conversation shifts to their relationship. West asks if he can be gentle with Skylar just this once. He leads her to the bathroom where he bathes, lotions, and dresses her before putting her to bed. As they lie entangled on the bed, West realizes how important Skylar suddenly is to him.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Skylar”
Skylar answers the door the next morning and is shocked to see West’s parents, Greta and Andy, on the porch. They tease West, admitting to snooping on him. They invite Skylar to join them for dinner sometime soon before heading out.
Skylar spends the next few days writing songs, watching West work, and sharing West’s bed. She loves seeing him with the horses and realizes how well he treats her.
Chapter 30 Summary: “West”
West and Skylar develop a rhythm over the following days. He realizes that he is falling in love with her, but he is unsure if this is a good idea. He reasons that Skylar will inevitably have to leave Rose Hill.
One day, she joins him in the barn, interrupting his thoughts. They have sex again. Afterward, West decides that even if Skylar has to leave, he’s going to enjoy his time with her.
Chapters 20-30 Analysis
Skylar and West’s developing relationship contributes to their Pursuit of Happiness and teaches them about the Transformative Power of Love and Community. After the protagonists kiss for the first time, both Skylar and West believe that an intimate relationship is impossible. West doesn’t want to add to Skylar’s hurt or to compromise his familial dynamic, while Skylar knows that she is only in Rose Hill temporarily and doesn’t want to be distracted from the creation of her new album. She also fears the prospect of disrespecting West and complicating his life with Emmy and Oliver. However, in this section, their physical chemistry begins to outweigh their logical minds, and the forced-proximity scenario helps them to overcome their lingering doubts. As they spend even more time together, the tension between them heightens, and they become more willing to acknowledge their mutual need for love and affection and revel in the happiness they feel in one another’s company.
As the central romance progresses, Silver introduces an array of intimate scenes that compel Skylar and West to interact in a more heartfelt and open manner, and these conversations facilitate their Journey Toward Self-Acceptance. For example, the moonlit canoe outing immerses the protagonists in a conventionally romantic atmosphere, and they both soak in the ambiance of the “still night” and the “ripples coming from the oars that slice through the water with a reassuring regularity. Steady and even” (228). In this serene moment of relative solitude, away from West’s children and Skylar’s looming responsibilities, the quiet water, stars, and rhythm of West’s paddling put Skylar at ease and compel her to open up to West. The same is true for West, who also speaks honestly about his fears and longings. The scene “aches with intimacy and a sort of sorrow” as both characters “share [their] most painful inner worries with heartbreaking honesty” (232). As Skylar and West foster a deeper sense of honesty and closeness through authentic conversation, the canoe scene introduces the mutual emotional intimacy that precedes their first sexual encounter together, thereby suggesting that when two people share their feelings honestly, their sexual relationship becomes much more meaningful.
The same principles apply to West and Skylar’s second sexual encounter after the fair. At this point, Skylar allows herself to be vulnerable with West, admitting that she feels foolish for bidding on him and exposing herself to others’ scrutiny once again. Notably, West shows the true extent of his character when he does not ridicule or demean Skylar for her behavior. Instead, he treats her with tenderness, and before they have sex, he tells her that she is “strong” and “capable” and has “done nothing but prove that to [her]self and everyone around [her] for the past several weeks” (291). In this moment he is acknowledging Skylar’s innate value as an individual and cherishing her for her heart. His loving, authentic, and encouraging manner further endears West to Skylar and heightens her desire to pursue a full-fledged romance with him.
Skylar and West’s growing connection fuels their personal Journey Toward Self-Acceptance, inspiring them to invest more ardently in their individual lives. For example, West throws himself into horse training and family life, delighted to have Skylar as a partner in his world. Likewise, Skylar focuses on her songwriting with a new level of zeal, realizing that her sense of peace and belonging at Rose Hill is helping her to see and express herself more freely. Because Skylar has “never felt more cherished” (304) than when she is with West, she begins to cherish herself and honor her own emotional needs. Similarly, because West has always craved companionship, he sees the opportunity to share a life with Skylar as “a hazy, happy bubble” that he “never want[s] to leave” (307). However, these positive aspects of their relationship are overshadowed by the promise of Skylar’s inevitable departure; although she is becoming integrated into West’s life, they are both keenly aware that Rose Hill is not her home. Thus, these chapters introduce an element of tension and dread by alluding more frequently to Skylar’s impending return to LA, and these moments foreshadow a period of conflict and heartbreak in the couple’s uncertain future.
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