Once and Again Summary by Chapter | Rebecca Serle
Introduction To “Once and Again” (Chapter-by-Chapter Summary)
Serle—known for emotionally layered fiction that examines relationships and fate—centers the novel on Lauren, a woman navigating infertility, marriage struggles, and a haunting family inheritance: a mysterious silver ticket that allows every woman in her lineage one chance to reverse a moment in time.
Set between Malibu’s oceanfront calm and the restless energy of New York City, the novel follows Lauren as she confronts the echoes of her past, including a first love she never fully left behind.
As the summer unfolds, choices—both ordinary and life-altering—force her to examine what truly matters.
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Book Structure Overview
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Chapters | 44 |
| Prologue / Epilogue | No formal prologue or epilogue |
| Narrative POV | Primarily Lauren, with sections from Marcella and Sylvia |
| Narrative Structure | Mostly linear with reflective flashbacks |
| Main Settings | West Hollywood, Malibu, and New York City |
Once and Again Summary Chapter by Chapter
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This section contains detailed, chapter-by-chapter plot summaries.
Chapter 1: The 4:00 A.M. Vigil
Lauren waits in her West Hollywood kitchen at 4:00 a.m. for a text from her husband, Leo, confirming his flight has landed after a job interview in New York.
She reflects on her career as an accountant and Leo’s work as a director of photography, noting the strain their marriage has endured from years of failed fertility treatments.
Leo calls, excited about meeting a showrunner, and they discuss an upcoming clinic appointment that Leo finds increasingly exhausting.
Key Moment: Leo reveals he is interviewing for a high-profile show that could change their lives financially.
Chapter 2: The Legend of the Ticket
The history of the “silver ticket” is traced to Lauren’s great-grandmother, Irina, in 1920s Ukraine, who received a wooden box with a silver ticket from a woman named Hinda.
When Irina’s father was taken by soldiers, she used the ticket to go back one day and hide her family in the attic, saving them from pogroms.
The ticket reappears for every woman born into the family, including Lauren, and is kept in a safe at their Broad Beach home.
Key Moment: Irina uses the first silver ticket to save her family from certain death in Odessa.
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Chapter 3: Coffee and Insomniacs
Lauren’s father, David, arrives early to charge his electric car and share coffee, bonding with Lauren as fellow insomniacs.
They discuss Leo’s career prospects and the high cost of infertility treatments, which have depleted their savings. David expresses his deep affection for Leo and his hope that Lauren will find peace with her journey toward motherhood.
Key Moment: David acknowledges the financial and emotional toll the fertility clinic is taking on Lauren and Leo.
Chapter 4: The Day the World Changed
While cooking oatmeal, Lauren recalls the day she learned about the silver tickets at fifteen, finding her mother Marcella catatonic after David’s car accident.
Marcella and grandmother Sylvia revealed David had died in the crash, but Marcella used her ticket to bring him back.
This revelation turned Lauren into an adult overnight, saddling her with the responsibility of protecting her father and guarding her own ticket.
Key Moment: Lauren learns that her mother used her one do-over to undo her father’s fatal car accident.
Chapter 5: Marcella’s Silent Distance
Marcella reflects on her marriage to David and her life in Malibu, feeling displaced in her own home and at odds with her mother Sylvia.
She notices Lauren has always been closer to Sylvia and David, causing quiet resentment. Lauren calls to visit for Shabbat dinner, a visit Marcella perceives as being more about the ocean than family.
Key Moment: Marcella realizes that her daughter sees their home as “the ocean” rather than “home.”
Chapter 6: The Return to Broad Beach
Lauren drives to the family’s shingled beach house on Broad Beach, greeted by Sylvia preparing Shabbat dinner.
While walking on the beach to find her mother, Lauren encounters Stone Morrow, her first love with whom she shared a decade-long relationship. Stone is back because his stepmother, Bonnie, is dying of cancer.
Key Moment: Lauren runs into her ex-boyfriend, Stone, on the beach after years apart.
Chapter 7: Dinner and a Job Offer
The family gathers for dinner as Lauren and David discuss Stone on the deck, David reminding her Stone wasn’t the right one.
Leo surprises Lauren by arriving at the beach house, announcing he got the cinematography job in New York. He proposes Lauren stay in Malibu for the summer to save money while he is away, leading to a tense argument about stopping fertility treatments.
Key Moment: Leo gets the job in New York and suggests they spend the summer apart.
Chapter 8: The Mundane Sunday
Marcella recalls the specific moment she chose to return to after David’s accident: a mundane Sunday morning when David was dripping wet on the living room floor after surfing.
She remembers overwhelming relief followed by immediate terror, knowing she could never save him again. Lauren still remembers the intense hug her mother gave her that day without understanding why.
Key Moment: Marcella describes the specific memory she used her ticket to manifest.
Chapter 9: Moving to Malibu
Lauren officially moves into the Broad Beach house for the summer with her cat, Pea, struggling with silence between her and Leo.
Her childhood bedroom feels like a time capsule, and she clashes with Marcella’s reserved judgment. Leo calls from New York sounding excited and engaged, emphasizing the distance between them.
Key Moment: Lauren moves back into her childhood room, marking the start of her summer apart from Leo.
Chapter 10: The Memory of Tony’s
Lauren swims in the cold Pacific, finding the physical shock therapeutic, and joins David on the steps to watch the ocean. She reminisces about her first dinner with Leo and her parents at Taverna Tony, recalling how Leo and Marcella bonded over moussaka.
That night, Lauren felt a deep desire for Leo to “fix” the broken relationship between her and her mother.
Key Moment: Lauren reflects on the night her parents first fell in love with Leo at a Greek restaurant.
Chapter 11: Dawn Patrol
David encourages Lauren to surf at dawn, telling her to “trust the water again.” She finds her old board and paddles out at Broad Beach for the first time in a decade.
Stone joins her, and they surf together as Lauren catches a wave, experiencing a sense of total presence she hasn’t felt since youth.
Key Moment: Lauren surfs for the first time in ten years and experiences a moment of perfect clarity.
Chapter 12: Breakfast at Paradise Cove
After surfing, Lauren and Stone go to Paradise Cove Beach Cafe, falling into an old, easy rhythm of companionship. Stone shares his grief over Bonnie’s terminal illness and his father’s denial.
Lauren feels a pang of guilt, wondering if she should use her ticket to save Bonnie, but stays silent.
Key Moment: Stone shares the depth of his grief over Bonnie’s illness and invites Lauren to see her.
Chapter 13: The House of Freckles
Lauren visits Bonnie at Stone’s parents’ house, finding her frail but warm, asking what Lauren is reading.
Lauren is moved by the deep love between Stone and his stepmother, prompting reflection on her own fertility struggle. She realizes she still loves Bonnie and the comfort of Stone’s family despite the time away.
Key Moment: Lauren visits the dying Bonnie and reflects on the nature of maternal love.
Chapter 14: Gravity’s Rainbow
Lauren returns to find Marcella reading Gravity’s Rainbow, sharing a rare moment of connection over the book’s difficulty. Marcella reveals David hasn’t surfed in days and has invited Stone to dinner.
Lauren reflects on the “idiocy of hope” regarding her fertility, finding strange freedom in her latest failed cycle.
Key Moment: Marcella invites Stone to dinner, forcing closer interaction between the ex-lovers.
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Chapter 15: Dreams of Motherhood
In flashback, Marcella dreams of being Lauren’s best friend after her birth in a cold February.
As Lauren grew adventurous and independent, gravitating toward David and the ocean, Marcella felt growing distance and blamed David.
The car accident eventually gave Lauren a sense of worry that connected her to Marcella’s anxious nature.
Key Moment: Marcella reflects on how Lauren’s independence felt like rejection of her motherhood.
Chapter 16: The Greek at Night
Stone arrives for dinner, and after the meal, Lauren and Stone sneak out to “the Greek,” a dilapidated party spot from their youth.
Sitting on the deck overlooking the water, Lauren admits her struggle with infertility to Stone. He admits he has regrets about moving away a decade ago.
Key Moment: Lauren admits her infertility to Stone while sitting at their old teenage haunt.
Chapter 17: The Habit of Saving
Marcella recalls David’s open-heart surgery when Lauren was seven, terrified of losing him. During recovery, she secretly enjoyed David’s reliance on her, finding fulfillment in being his stabilizer.
She watched him return to the water with deep anxiety, realizing she couldn’t stop him, establishing her habit of hyper-vigilance.
Key Moment: Marcella realizes she has built her life around the act of saving David.
Chapter 18: Angina and Absence
After a month at the beach, Lauren is in a routine with Stone, surfing every morning while communication with Leo grows sporadic.
She watches David struggle to lift his surfboard and learns he has angina; one of his bypasses has closed. Lauren reflects on her last failed IVF retrieval, where Leo suggested they stop trying.
Key Moment: Lauren discovers her father’s heart condition is worsening and reflects on her fractured marriage.
Chapter 19: The Final Sunset
Lauren and Stone surf together at sunset as the sky turns violet, feeling a deep, unspoken connection. Stone appears at her door to tell her Bonnie has died.
He is devastated, and Lauren instinctively reaches out to catch him as he collapses into her shoulder.
Key Moment: Stone reveals Bonnie has passed away, and Lauren prepares to drive him away from his grief.
Chapter 20: Trancas Parking Lot
Lauren takes Stone to the Trancas parking lot, their old high school haunt, where he expresses regret for not being there when Bonnie died. Stone tells Lauren he still thinks about their life together and regrets leaving.
They begin to kiss, leading to Lauren cheating on Leo in the car.
Key Moment: Lauren and Stone have a sexual encounter in the car, fueled by grief and unresolved history.
Chapter 21: Spending the Silver
In the aftermath, Lauren feels sharp betrayal and decides she cannot be a woman who has an affair.
She retrieves her silver ticket from the Malibu safe and uses it to wind time back to the beginning of the summer. She feels euphoria as she lets go of the token she has held for so long.
Key Moment: Lauren uses her silver ticket to undo the entire summer and her affair with Stone.
Chapter 22: The New York Reset
Lauren wakes in her West Hollywood home at the start of summer and calls Leo, telling him she’s moving to New York instead of Malibu.
She packs and flies to him, seeing Leo holding a sign that says “My Wife” at the airport. She runs into his arms in tears, feeling the reset worked.
Key Moment: Lauren resets the timeline and chooses to spend the summer with Leo in New York.
Chapter 23: Surrendering the Struggle
Leo and Lauren settle into a sunny apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Lauren tells Leo she wants to stop fertility treatments because she misses their life together.
Leo is emotional and relieved, and they agree to give up the struggle for a biological child. Lauren realizes home can be the present moment with Leo.
Key Moment: Lauren and Leo decide to stop pursuing fertility treatments and focus on their marriage.
Chapter 24: The Burden of the Secret
Marcella reflects on the aftermath of using her ticket thirty years ago, falling into depression knowing she was powerless to save David again.
She decided to tell Lauren about the tickets so her daughter wouldn’t be “unarmed” against tragedy. She realizes now she placed the burden of the family secret onto Lauren’s shoulders.
Key Moment: Marcella reflects on the day she burdened Lauren with knowledge of the silver tickets.
Chapter 25: Anniversary at Gramercy
Life in New York is idyllic for Lauren and Leo, filled with exploration and celebration. Lauren learns Bonnie is responding well to a new medical trial in this timeline.
They celebrate their anniversary at Gramercy Tavern, feeling flush with money saved from IVF. Lauren feels powerful and omniscient having turned the world back.
Key Moment: Lauren learns Bonnie is improving and celebrates her happiness with Leo.
Chapter 26: The Emergency Call
Six weeks into her New York stay, Lauren receives a call from Marcella saying David is in the hospital with a heart episode.
She flies back to Los Angeles in panic, resenting her mother’s withholding. Leo promises to join her soon. Upon landing, Stone Morrow calls her phone.
Key Moment: Lauren’s father is hospitalized, forcing her to return to Los Angeles and confront reality.
Chapter 27: Waiting for a Miracle
Marcella paces outside David’s hospital room, learning his heart is giving out and previous bypasses have failed.
Doctors explain his miracles have expiration dates, and he’s not a good surgery candidate. Marcella regrets not insisting he see a cardiologist, realizing she’s out of cards to save him.
Key Moment: Marcella confronts the reality that David is dying and she cannot save him.
Chapter 28: Two Deaths
On her way to the hospital, Lauren talks to Stone, who reveals Bonnie’s trial failed and she’s declining again.
Lauren tells him to give Bonnie morphine to spare her suffering, realizing with horror her ticket may have given Bonnie two deaths. Stone asks where she’s staying; she’s heading to the beach.
Key Moment: Lauren realizes her ticket didn’t save Bonnie and fears she caused more suffering.
Chapter 29: The Decision Room
Lauren arrives at Cedars-Sinai to find David hooked to machines, weak but conscious. Marcella takes her aside, and Lauren realizes through her mother’s silent gaze that she’s being asked to use her ticket.
Lauren feels intense panic because she no longer has the power to give.
Key Moment: Lauren sees her father fragile and realizes her mother expects her to use her ticket.
Chapter 30: The Cafeteria Confession
In the hospital cafeteria, Lauren confesses to Marcella that she already used her ticket for something “childish and embarrassing.” Marcella is enraged, accusing Lauren of failing her family responsibility.
They argue about the umbilical cord of guilt, and Marcella demands Lauren come with her to the parking structure.
Key Moment: Lauren admits to her mother that she used her silver ticket and cannot save her father.
Chapter 31: Sylvia’s Invitation
Sylvia reflects on her ninety-one years, her mother Irina’s life in New York, and the shoe business built after her father died in Ukraine. She admits she was reckless because the ticket made her feel invincible.
Sylvia hints she’s finally ready to tell the truth about how she used—or didn’t use—her own ticket.
Key Moment: Sylvia reflects on her life of invincibility and prepares to reveal her secret.
Chapter 32: Parking Structure A
Marcella leads Lauren to Parking Structure A, where Lauren was born thirty-seven years ago. Marcella remembers the joy of Lauren’s birth and her vow to be a better mother.
She reveals she brought Lauren here not to discuss her birth, but the day she died. Lauren is confused and agitated.
Key Moment: Marcella prepares to reveal a devastating secret about Lauren’s past.
Chapter 33: Confessions and Consequences
Standing at the emergency entrance, Lauren tells Marcella about her infertility and affair with Stone in the erased timeline. Marcella is moved to tears, saying she understands because “it has all been a second chance.”
Marcella prepares to share the real story of the accident.
Key Moment: Lauren confesses her affair, and Marcella reveals Lauren’s entire life has been a “second chance.”
Chapter 34: The Truth of the Crash
Marcella reveals Lauren was the one who actually died in the car accident thirty years ago. Lauren died on impact, and Marcella used her ticket to bring her daughter back to life.
She kept this secret to protect Lauren from knowing she had died. Lauren is stunned, realizing her mother’s hyper-vigilance came from losing her child once before.
Key Moment: Marcella reveals she used her ticket to bring Lauren back from the dead.
Chapter 35: Hysterical Strength
Lauren is stunned, realizing the world has reoriented around this new truth. She understands Marcella’s constant worry was a profound form of love she never appreciated.
They embrace, and Lauren feels the legacy of women in her family who act as saviors. David knew the truth all along and wanted Marcella to tell her.
Key Moment: Lauren and Marcella embrace as the truth of Lauren’s second-chance life is shared.
Chapter 36: The Cowboy from Kentucky
Sylvia details her time in Las Vegas in 1964, falling in love with Bobby Montgomery, who was killed by the mob.
Pregnant and alone, she chose not to use her ticket to save Bobby because she felt her baby kick. She moved to Malibu and used gambling winnings to buy the Broad Beach house, never using her silver ticket.
Key Moment: Sylvia reveals she never used her silver ticket, choosing her daughter over the past.
Chapter 37: The Final Ticket
Lauren returns to Malibu to find Sylvia waiting, and they share Scotch on the deck. Sylvia admits she loved Lauren “easier” than Marcella, explaining the ticket is both curse and blessing.
She tells Lauren she’s not going to tell her how to use it, but show her, preparing to give the family’s last remaining ticket.
Key Moment: Sylvia prepares to give Lauren the family’s last remaining silver ticket.
Chapter 38: A Plan for the Past
Sylvia hands her unused ticket to Lauren, noting it’s “light as a feather.” Lauren drives back to the hospital, reflecting on the magic of love in motion.
She stops for coffee, feeling they have time now because of the ticket. She reaches the hospital to find her parents asleep in each other’s arms.
Key Moment: Lauren takes Sylvia’s ticket and prepares to offer her father a chance to live.
Chapter 39: Refusing the Do-Over
Lauren shows the ticket to her parents, proposing to go back ten years to put a stent in David’s heart. David refuses firmly, saying he doesn’t want to undo the last ten years of his life.
He notes that if they went back, Lauren might never have met Leo. Lauren realizes his choice comes from love of his real life.
Key Moment: David refuses to use the silver ticket, choosing to stay in the present with his memories.
Chapter 40: Choosing the Present
Marcella realizes David is right and their last decade has been their happiest. She decides not to interfere with time and hands the ticket back to Sylvia.
They share a moment of connection, realizing they no longer want to protect each other from truth. Marcella feels relief letting go of power to change the past.
Key Moment: Marcella returns the ticket to Sylvia, choosing to live through David’s final days without magic.
Chapter 41: Final Goodbyes
Lauren meets Stone at the Trancas parking lot one last time to say goodbye. Stone admits he still thinks they made a mistake and wants what David and Marcella have.
Lauren firmly tells him life moves forward and they didn’t work for a reason. She closes the door on their past.
Key Moment: Lauren says a final goodbye to Stone, choosing her life with Leo.
Chapter 42: The Shadow Summer
Lauren returns to her cold, dark West Hollywood bungalow, reflecting on the dual world of infertility. She looks at her wedding photo and realizes marrying Leo was the next right thing.
She decides she cannot move forward without telling Leo the truth and calls him, learning he’s already at the airport coming home.
Key Moment: Lauren prepares to be completely honest with Leo about her “shadow summer.”
Chapter 43: Honesty and Healing
Lauren tells Leo the truth about her affair with Stone as rain pounds against the windows. She admits being with Stone made her feel whole but takes responsibility for her choices.
Leo is devastated but wants to try to forgive her. They sit side by side, gripping hands, trusting time will change their pain.
Key Moment: Leo and Lauren commit to working on their marriage despite the painful truth.
Chapter 44: The Birthday Cake
Three years later, Lauren and Leo celebrate their son Damien’s first birthday with a barbecue at the beach. David is alive after successful surgery, a doting grandfather.
Sylvia has passed away peacefully, leaving her unused ticket in a cookie jar. When Lauren burns Damien’s cake, she uses the final ticket to undo the mistake.
Key Moment: Lauren uses the final silver ticket for a mundane task, signifying acceptance of her real life.
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