Saving Charlie/summary

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Saving Charlie summary

Following is a chapter-by-chapter summary of Saving Charlie, a novel about Hiro Nakamura's quest to save Charlie Andrews.

Summary

Chapter 1

In the bathroom of the Burnt Toast Diner, Hiro Nakamura peacocks in front of the mirror, smitten with Charlie, despite having just met her and not knowing her last name.

Chapter 2

Hiro and his traveling companion Ando Masahashi, weary from their long journey from Las Vegas, stop at the Burnt Toast Diner for breakfast. Not yet caffeinated, Ando complains about the lack of food choices, while Hiro is just happy to be out of the car. Charlie is their server and asks to take their order. Hiro is immediately attracted to the waitress and kicks himself for not knowing enough English to talk to her. He tries to have Ando (who speaks English fairly well) talk for him, but Ando doesn't want any part in helping Hiro hit on "some poor defenseless girl". Charlie listens to them speaking Japanese and tries to use some words she learned from a Japanese phrase book she got for her birthday. She says that lately she has been able to remember everything she reads. They settle on their order, and Charlie leaves to continue working.

While she is gone, Hiro laments his bad luck in love, but feels that today is his lucky day. He debates asking Charlie out on a date, and Ando doesn't have any faith in Hiro's luck with women. When Hiro works up the courage to talk to Charlie, he gets scared and excuses himself to the men's room. There, he wrestles with his confidence, painfully remembering a bad experience he had with Miyoki Akayawa. Finally deciding that this time would be different, Hiro walks out of the bathroom full of confidence. However, the atmosphere in the diner is suddenly completely different. Ando approaches Hiro, says "It's Charlie", and motions to the diner's storeroom. In there, an officer is sobbing and giving orders, a waitress is on her knees, and everybody is whispering, crying, and scared. Charlie is dead.

Chapter 3

Hiro remembers that in his final year of high school, he met with the guidance counselor and told her that he believed his destiny was to follow in his father's footsteps, work at Yamagato Industries, and eventually take over the company. But when asked what he wanted to do, Hiro expressed his desire to become Bushido warrior.

Years later, he finds himself working at Yamagato. Bored and frustrated with his life's direction, Hiro manages to turn back time by about one second. He excitedly tells Ando, who doesn't believe him and teases him instead. That night on the subway home, Hiro successfully teleports to Times Square in the future. He sees a 9th Wonders! comic book with his picture on it, and decides to seek out the comic's writer-illustrator, Isaac Mendez. However, when Hiro gets to Isaac's loft, he sees a painting of an explosion in New York City, paintings of himself, and he finds Isaac murdered with his brain removed.

Chapter 4

In the present, Hiro connects Isaac's murder with Charlie's murder, calling the killer "Brain Man". As Sheriff Davidson mournfully interrogates suspects, Hiro resolves to go back in time one day and somehow save Charlie Andrews. Ando protests, and tries to encourage Hiro to stick to his original missing of saving the world. Hiro leaves anyway.

Chapter 5

When Hiro was four, Kaito explained the meaning behind the small plaque that was kept on the wall of his his office. The plaque read, "This is not a fairy tale". Kaito explains that there are no happy endings. Hiro agrees, but is more interested in the "happiness in the middle".

Chapter 6

Hiro opens his eyes believing he has successfully time traveled one day prior. He is relieved to see Charlie alive, but frustrated that she doesn't know him — or Japanese. But any conversation Charlie and Hiro have is interrupted by Charlie's birthday party. Hiro takes a picture of the partygoers, and then has his picture taken, too. He tries to tell Charlie not to go to work tomorrow, but she doesn't listen. Hiro watches the party and tries to tell Charlie about the "very bad man", but he is interrupted by Lloyd who has made reservations for the two to go to lunch. Hiro notices that it is raining outside, and realizes that it wasn't raining yesterday: Hiro has accidentally time traveled to April 24, 2006.