Chapter summaries A House with Good Bones T. Kingfisher

Chapter 3: Attic Discoveries and Family Secrets

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The day after the unsettling events, Sam’s mother diffidently suggests checking the attic for a fish print she knows Sam loves. Sam eagerly agrees, hoping to banish the Confederate wedding painting. The attic is cluttered with boxes, coat hangers, and framed art. They sort through layers: posters, samplers, childhood art, family photos. Sam finds a sepia photo of a bearded man with intense eyes—her great-grandfather Elgar Mills, who resembles Rasputin. Mom explains that Elgar was born in the 1870s and died when Gran Mae was a teenager. Rumors claimed he was a wizard or warlock. Mom dismisses this, attributing it to his eccentric hermit lifestyle. Sam is struck by his formidable appearance. Mom locates the woodcut of a hellgrammite (an aquatic insect). They replace the Confederate wedding print with the fish artwork. Mom then announces she’s leaving for Raleigh, and Sam is left alone, feeling a small victory.

Key Events

  • Mom proposes searching the attic for the fish print.
  • Sam and Mom navigate the cluttered attic and flip through piles of framed art.
  • Sam discovers a photograph of great-grandfather Elgar Mills, who looks like Rasputin.
  • Mom shares that Elgar was born in the 1870s, died when Gran Mae was a teenager, and was rumored to be a wizard.
  • Mom finds the woodcut of a hellgrammite.
  • They swap the Confederate wedding print for the fish artwork.
  • Mom departs for Raleigh, leaving Sam alone in the house.

Character Development

  • Sam demonstrates her preference for science and practicality over sentimental or problematic art; she feels vindicated by the swap and resists the imagined authority of “Father.”
  • Mom shows a hesitant, almost fearful side when taking down the wedding print, as if worried about someone’s judgment. She also reveals a matter-of-fact attitude toward family rumors.
  • Gran Mae (through memory) is portrayed as a lover of gossip who avoided discussing family scandals, using dramatic Southern phrases.
  • Great-grandfather Elgar Mills emerges as an enigmatic figure—formidable, reclusive, and the subject of supernatural rumors.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • The Persistence of the Past: The attic full of family relics and the photo of Elgar Mills literally embody how past generations intrude on the present.
  • Family Myths and Superstition: The rumors that Elgar was a warlock show how unexplained eccentricity becomes legend.
  • Replacement as Rebellion: Swapping the Confederate wedding for the hellgrammite is a small but defiant act, rejecting inherited ideologies.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery around Sam’s family history by introducing Elgar Mills and the rumored wizardry. It also highlights the tension between Sam and her mother regarding the Confederate painting and sets up Sam’s solitary stay in the house, where further unsettling events may unfold.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Sam want so badly to replace the Confederate wedding print?
    She finds it embarrassing and repugnant, and she is eager to put up the fish print she loves. The swap feels like a small victory over the oppressive legacy the painting represents.

  2. What does the photo of Elgar Mills reveal about Sam’s family history?
    It shows a man with an intense gaze who looks like Rasputin. Mom reveals he was born in the 1870s, lived into his eighties, and was the subject of rumors that he was a wizard due to his reclusive, eccentric nature.

  3. Why does Mom hesitate before taking down the wedding painting?
    She seems anxious about someone “minding” the change, suggesting she feels bound by unseen expectations or fears judgment—perhaps from Gran Mae’s lingering influence or from the community.

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