The Heart Remembers Book Summary and Study Guide

Their divorce was cold, bitter and acrimonious, and Sara did not see Luke or Brian again. She was paralyzed for a long time by her shock and grief, and slowly began trying to build a life back together again. She got a job at an art gallery, moved to Los Angeles, and tried to start anew. But she has never filled the hole in her heart that Luke left. She has not gotten him out of her head or heart, no matter how many dates her friends force her to go on. After one particularly disastrous date, Sara resolves to find Luke and try to mend the bridge with him, despite all the hurt, bitterness, mistrust, and anger she feels about him. Through mutual acquaintances Luke proves easy to find, and it appears he has moved to Los Angeles too - and is dating a new woman, a bronzed blonde bombshell named Stephanie. Sara is taken aback and wounded by this, and by the enigmatic, cold look in Luke's eyes, but he agrees to meet. He tells her that Brian and Luke's sister Fiona are still together, and passively aggressively asks Sara if she has tried to wreck any other marriages in the intervening years. Sara is hurt, insists that she not do as he thinks, and Luke seems strangely tempted to touch her, talk with her, and rekindle a connection, and is fighting it.

Sara gives up and returns to her life, but Luke enters the art gallery the next day and asks her to show him around and teach him about the paintings. A friendship develops as they discuss art. Luke seems to keep finding excuses to see her after that, and a cautious, wary dance begins, equal part sexual tension and teenage-level angst. Added to the drama is Stephanie, who constantly re-asserts her sexual dominance over Luke compared to Sara and her romantic connection with Luke as well. Sara is jealous, though Luke does not seem as responsive to Stephanie's possessive gestures. When he invites Sara to come on a trip to San Francisco with him to help him choose a painting for his collection, they end up almost falling into bed together, and Sara bursts into tears, overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. When Sara decides to calm herself by drawing a sketch of her feelings, Luke remembers that she is left-handed - and then remembers a discrepancy in his sister Fiona's and his brother-in-law Brian's recollections of the events of that fateful night, where they describe a series of things that Sara allegedly did - holding a glass of wine while unbuttoning Brian's shirt with her right hand, while drinking and setting the glass on the table to her left, etc - which she could only have done right-handed. Enraged, shocked, and confused, Luke leaves Sara abruptly, and takes a separate flight back home. She does not see him for weeks, and when he returns, he is disheveled, tired, and deeply ashamed and uncertain. He tells her that he could not face her, knowing what he did. She is in love again with him by this point, and forgives him, and they embrace and kiss in the bed. Then Luke grimly tells her they will go to his sister's house. He confronts Fiona about her lies and then cuts her out of his life and his business. Then he asks Sara to marry him again, and she accepts.

Best part of story, including ending: I did not like the poorly contrived misunderstandings between the couple.

Best scene in story: when they are talking about art nouveau paintings in the gallery, I actually learned something from reading it.

Opinion about the main character: I hated how the heroine allowed herself to be disrespected so much, and went running back for more. Hated the hero for being paranoid and horrible.