Constance Chapter 35: Final Rehearsals and Unfinished Business

⚠️ 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

Con records a song in Stephie's studio, fighting hand tremors caused by her worsening medical condition. She watches the music shop while Stephie and Elena attend parent-teacher conferences. Three teenagers argue about the greatest pianist; Con steers them toward her late bandmate Tommy Diop. Later, Vernon Gaddis visits to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling that clones are persons. He presses Con about what happened inside Abigail Stickling's mountain compound and hints that he knows she possesses the key to immortality. Gaddis tells her a story about someone who looked like Abigail in Seoul. Con refuses to reveal anything and shuts the door on him. That evening, a spontaneous party gathers at Stephie and Elena's house, and Con agrees to play one song with Stephie.

Key Events

Recording session – Con works on a new song; her hands tremble from her illness. She lies to Stephie about her condition.
Teenager debate – Three kids argue about the best pianist; Con honors Tommy Diop, a deceased bandmate from Awaken the Ghosts.
Vernon Gaddis's visit – He tells Con the Supreme Court ruled clones are persons in Gaddis v. Virginia. He wants to know who killed Brooke Fenton and what Con is hiding about the mountain compound.
Seoul sighting – Gaddis reports that an acquaintance saw someone identical to Abigail Stickling in South Korea, implying another clone may be alive.
Con's refusal – She declines to cooperate with Gaddis and rejects his pressure to release the immortality technology.
Evening party – Friends gather; Stephie and Con agree to perform together.

Character Development

Constance (Con) – Now living with visible physical decline (hand tremors), she accepts her mortality, choosing not to clone herself again. She channels her limited time into finishing an album and founding a nonprofit for first-generation clones in Peter's memory. Her anger surfaces when she confronts Gaddis; she finally shows emotional depth about Zhi and her lost bandmates.

Vernon Gaddis – Gaddis arrives with a mix of political victory (the Supreme Court case) and personal loss (his sons still refuse to speak to him). He becomes more morally ambiguous, simultaneously probing Con and expressing genuine regret. His mention of a possible second Abigail reveals his obsession with controlling the technology.

Stephie – She continues to be Con's loyal friend and caretaker, pretending to believe Con's lies about her health. The bond between them deepens through shared memories of Awaken the Ghosts.

Dahlia – The young girl shows growing skill as a board operator and a cheeky personality. She represents the next generation's acceptance of clones and music.

Abigail Stickling (rumored) – Though dead, the hint that a clone of her might exist in Seoul reopens the threat she posed, suggesting immortality may not have been fully destroyed.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Mortality vs. immortality – Con's choice not to be cloned again challenges the novel's core question. She sees immortality not as a gift but as a potential curse, while Gaddis pursues it relentlessly.
Memory and legacy – Con cherishes stories of her dead bandmates and writes an album as a testament. The teens' ignorance of Awaken the Ghosts prompts her to think about how most lives are forgotten.
The purple Christmas tree – The permanent tree in the studio serves as a totem of hope and continuity. Con touches it each morning as a ritual.
Fire and community – The final scene around the firepit emphasizes warmth, human connection, and the ordinary joys that Con values above any technological breakthrough.
The mountain as secret – The collapsed compound remains a symbol of hidden knowledge and violence; Gaddis hints that excavating it would reveal more than the cave-in.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 acts as a quiet interlude before the novel's conclusion. It solidifies Con's emotional arc: she accepts death on her own terms, chooses legacy over longevity, and firmly opposes the spread of cloning technology. The conversation with Gaddis raises the stakes by suggesting that Abigail may still exist and that the fight over immortality is far from over. The chapter also humanizes Con through her music, her friendships, and her memories, making her ultimate decision more poignant.

Study Questions & Answers

1. Why does Con refuse to clone herself again despite having the means?
Con views death as a natural end and fears that immortality would cheapen life. She believes the technology should not be unleashed on the world, and she feels she has already lived two full lives (original and clone). Her decision reflects her belief that most of life is meant to be forgotten.

2. What does Gaddis’s story about the Abigail look-alike in Seoul imply?
It suggests that Abigail might have stored another clone off-site, possibly in South Korea, as a failsafe. This opens the possibility that the cloning technology is not truly destroyed and that the battle over it will continue even after Con dies.

3. How does Con’s interaction with the teenagers reveal her views on legacy?
When the kids don’t recognize Awaken the Ghosts, Con considers that most lives are forgotten. She decides not to lecture them, accepting that her bandmates’ lives had value regardless of lasting fame. This attitude helps her prioritize her album as a personal act of closure rather than a bid for immortality.