Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis: “Two. Cristina”

⚠️ 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

Cristina witnesses the discovery of a hex doll that had been planted in her mother’s bedroom. She and her brother Clem burn the doll and decide they must perform the Wise John’s Moon protection spell, which requires the presence of their mother’s four estranged sisters. Odessa, the longtime housekeeper, urges Cristina to be wary of Oz, her white boyfriend, while Cristina defends him. During a phone call, Cristina confronts Oz about his obsession with generational magic and asks directly whether he crossed her mother. He denies it, hurt by the accusation. After the call, Cristina reflects on her past falling-out with her former best friend Valentina and the devastating consequences of the Scales of Justice spell she cast, which she believes killed her father. She realizes her journal is missing and grows concerned that someone may be targeting the entire family.

Key Events

Cristina, Clem, and their mother examine the hex doll with Firefly Supplies branding; Mama burns it with lighter fluid.
Odessa interrupts and learns about the doll; she and Mama plan an Eshu cleanse while Cristina and Clem go to recruit the aunts for Wise John’s Moon.
Clem again implies Oz might be responsible, but Cristina forcefully defends him.
In her room, Cristina receives an apologetic phone call from Oz; the conversation escalates into a heated argument about racism and cultural appropriation.
Cristina directly asks Oz if he crossed her mother; he denies it and hangs up.
Cristina recalls how she and Oz got together after he broke up with Valentina, and how Valentina later publicly humiliated Cristina with a drunk video.
Cristina reveals she cast the Scales of Justice spell intending to hurt Valentina, but it backfired and killed her father.
Cristina searches for her journal—the last gift from her father—and cannot find it; she becomes suspicious that someone may be targeting her and Clem as well.

Character Development

Cristina: The chapter deepens her internal conflict. She is burdened by guilt over her father’s death, which she believes she caused. She struggles to reconcile her love for Oz with the warnings from Clem and Odessa, and she begins to question whether she can trust anyone. Her resolve to protect her mother drives her to regain agency, but her missing journal hints at a larger threat.
Clem: He remains protective and suspicious, especially of Oz. His earlier concern about the missing knife (from Chapter 2) now aligns with Cristina’s missing journal, suggesting a pattern.
Odessa: She acts as a maternal guardian figure who carries the trauma of the lynching of Cristina’s grandmother. Her distrust of white people stems from that history, and she tries to warn Cristina without revealing the full truth.
Oz: His defensive reaction to Cristina’s accusation and his earlier lies to Dr. Thomas cast doubt on his trustworthiness. His obsession with generational magic remains a point of tension, and his claim that “no branch of magic belongs to any one group of people” highlights his entitlement.
Valentina Savant (mentioned): Though not present, her past actions—recording a drunk Cristina and leaking the video—drive Cristina’s motivation for revenge. She represents the antagonist who pushes Cristina toward her fatal mistake.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Guilt and Redemption: Cristina’s every action is shadowed by her belief that she killed her father. She sees the opportunity to save Mama as a chance to “even out my universe.”
Cultural Ownership and Appropriation: The argument with Oz explicitly explores whether white people should practice generational magic, which was created for Black survival. Cristina says “People actually died for the magic you’ve chosen as your latest hobby.”
Trauma and Family Legacy: Odessa’s memory of the lynching of Cristina’s grandparents connects the family’s past violence to the present threat. The hex doll and the missing journal continue a cycle of persecution.
Burning and Cleansing: Mama burns the hex doll with fire; Odessa prepares an Eshu cleanse. Fire symbolizes destruction of evil but also renewal.
Missing Objects: Clem’s knife and Cristina’s journal—both sentimental gifts from their father—are missing, suggesting an unseen enemy is dismantling the family’s protective items.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 3 is the emotional and plot centerpiece of the early novel. It provides Cristina’s first-person account of the burden she carries and exposes the central mystery: who planted the hex doll, and why. The chapter also establishes the deep fracture between Cristina and her brother over trust in Oz, and it reveals the catastrophic failure of the Scales of Justice spell. The missing journal introduces a new layer of suspense, implying that the danger may extend beyond the hex doll. Furthermore, the phone-call argument provides the novel’s most direct thematic confrontation about race and magic ownership, setting up a central conflict that will continue throughout the story.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Cristina feel guilty, and how does that guilt shape her actions in this chapter?
Cristina believes she accidentally killed her father with the Scales of Justice spell, intended for Valentina. This guilt drives her to protect her mother and seek redemption by helping with the protection spell and vowing to find the person who crossed Mama.
What does the argument with Oz reveal about the novel’s treatment of cultural appropriation?
The argument shows that Oz feels entitled to practice generational magic, calling it “cool” and insisting no branch belongs to any one group. Cristina counters that the magic was created for Black survival and that Oz’s hobby ignores the history of violence and theft. This disagreement echoes real-world debates about cultural appropriation and underscores the racial tensions within the story.
How does the missing journal change the stakes for Cristina?
The journal was a gift from her father, and its disappearance—along with Clem’s missing knife—suggests someone is systematically removing objects of sentimental and magical value from the house. Cristina worries that the threat is not only against Mama but also against her and Clem, making the need for the protection spell even more urgent.