It’s the penultimate chapter! Finally!
Recap: Ana and Christian actually had a nice day together; they went gliding and then out for breakfast. Ana also heard back from Seattle Independent Publishing and was offered the internship position there. Christian headed back to Seattle because “something came up” although he didn’t tell Ana what.
Fifty Shades of Grey: Chapter Twenty-Five
Ana says goodbye to her mother at the airport. Her mom gives her some generic “follow your heart” advice, because that’s why she’s even in the story, and then Ana boards the plane (first-class again, no doubt courtesy of Grey) and thinks sad thoughts about Christian’s childhood. She wonders if Christian is even capable of loving her back.
This is one of those moments where it’s hard to discern author intention. Yeah, I think it’s pretty clear that Christian does not love Ana, but I think the author probably intended it to read as him loving her.
Ana tries emailing Christian but he’s busy and so his responses are clipped. I think this is supposed to count as dramatic tension, but it really doesn’t.
Taylor picks her up from the airport and drives her to Christian’s place. Christian is on the phone, but hangs up when Ana enters the room. Immediately, they start kissing and then Christian tells her to shower with him. I guess he couldn’t wait until the shower to have sex with her, though, because as soon as they get in the bathroom he gives her oral and then fucks her. Okay.
I swear, despite how much time Ana spends pondering his motives, Christian isn’t all that complicated an animal. He wants sex and control, and… that’s about it.
Ana tells Christian she got the job at SIP (the publishing house). She also tells him that next Thursday is the opening of José’s photography show, and she’d like him to come with her. He agrees, and then they have sex again, but mercifully there’s a fade-to-black this time.
Later, after they finish eating, Ana asks about the “situation” again, and Christian says it’s out of hand, but that she shouldn’t worry. He tells her to meet him in the playroom in fifteen minutes. Great, more sex. Just what this chapter needed.
When Ana sees Christian enter the room, barefoot and dressed only in a pair of blue jeans, she freaks out over how sexy his feet are. Granted, she’s in a kneeling position which means his feet are probably at her eye level, but it’s really starting to seem like Ana might have a foot fetish. Maybe they ought to explore that instead of trying to force Ana into BDSM scenarios she’s not comfortable with?
They go over safewords, which scares Ana because she wonders what they’ll be doing that would require safewords. She could try asking him? Also, using safewords doesn’t imply you’ll be doing anything scary/painful/dangerous.
Christian explains to Ana that he’s going to tie her to the bed, blindfold her, and put headphones on her so that she can only hear the music he plays for her. Ana’s first thought is “I hope it’s not rap,” which actually made me laugh pretty hard. (Also, while I’m not surprised that a white girl written by an obviously racist white Englishwoman doesn’t like rap, allow me to point out that there is plenty of sexy rap music and Ana is a coward.)
Also, this:
Oh boy, I think my heart is going to leave my chest, and I’m melting from the inside out, desire coursing through me. Could I be any more excited?
I don’t think I’ve ever read a more sarcastic-sounding paragraph.
He blindfolds her, cuffs her to the bed, and puts some sort of Latin choir music on. I don’t even know. Then he… touches her with fur? And hits her lightly with a flogger? Then gives her oral for about 2 seconds before realizing she’s about to come and just fucking her instead? Okay, whatever.
The description picks up slightly in quality when Ana’s blindfolded because the author can’t describe how sexy Christian looks and has to concentrate on other senses, but, on the other hand, she seems to think sensory deprivation makes one think with lots of ellipses, so it’s a mixed bag.
Once the sex is over, they cuddle and Ana asks Christian again what she was talking about in her sleep. He gives her a vague, evasive answer, and, again, it’s so so obvious that what Ana actually said was “I love you,” but I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be obvious or not.
Holy Cow! Alert:
Holy cow. What is he going to do?
Holy cow, I cannot move my arms.
Holy cow, a celestial choir – singing acapella in my head, an ancient, ancient hymnal.
Plus, two “Holy shit!”s, one “Holy crap!”, three “Holy fuck!”s.
And Now, A Word From Ana’s Subconscious Alert:
[Ana thinks about all the stuff Christian’s bought for her] Ho! My subconscious has her snarky face on.
Does “Inner Goddess” Mean What I Think It Means? Alert:
[Christian’s expression shifts when he sees Ana] From tension to relief to something else: a look that calls directly to my inner goddess, a look of sensual carnality, gray eyes blazing.
[Ana is nervous before starting a scene with Christian] Closing my eyes, I try to calm myself down, to connect with my inner sub. She’s there somewhere, hiding behind my inner goddess.
That’s Too Many Inner Voices For One Sentence Alert:
[Ana is nervous about what mood Christian might be in] My inner goddess is hopeful for one type of mood, my subconscious, like me, is fraught with nerves.
[Christian enters the playroom] Jeez, he looks so freaking hot. My subconscious is frantically fanning herself, and my inner goddess is swaying and writhing to some primal carnal rhythm. She’s so ready.
Oh My! Alert: Four times.
Thoughts So Far:
I’m legitimately at a loss for words. I don’t know what more can be said in response to this terrible, terrible, terrible piece of writing. I’m just glad I’m almost done with the book.