Chapter 11: Alicia – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ 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 chapter opens late at night, with Alicia exhausted after a long day at Jessica’s house. Norah has already left, but Jessica remains anxious about their upcoming meeting with police in Port Agatha. She has prepared a list of possible questions and wants to establish “parameters” to protect the sisters—especially Norah, who has a criminal record. Alicia argues that withholding information could prevent the police from identifying the bones, but Jessica insists on caution. Alicia ultimately suggests they play it by ear and get a lawyer only if trouble arises.
After the conversation, Alicia drives home. On the way, she receives a call from Aaron, Trish’s foster son. Aaron updates her on Theo’s condition: Theo is now eating when handfed, although he still refuses baths or changing clothes. Aaron then asks about university scholarships, and Alicia offers to send links and help with applications. On a whim, she asks what happened to his parents. Aaron reveals that his mother has an intellectual disability, his father is unknown, and his grandmother Doris raised him until she entered a nursing home three years ago; Doris died six months ago. Alicia feels a mix of sadness and connection.
Driving aimlessly, Alicia finds herself outside the house of Meera, a colleague and child protection lawyer. She recalls a night a year ago when she impulsively kissed Meera, but she ended the kiss and has since avoided discussing it, believing a relationship would never work for her. Now she drives away, taking the scenic route along the river. There, she experiences a wave of suicidal ideation, imagining steering her car into the water. She resists the urge only because she cannot do that to her sisters.
Key Events
- Alicia and Jessica debate how much to tell the police about the bones, with Jessica wanting a lawyer and Alicia opposing the idea.
- Alicia leaves Jessica’s house and receives a late-night call from Aaron, who reports on Theo’s progress and asks for scholarship information.
- Alicia asks Aaron about his parents; he explains his mother’s disabilities and his grandmother’s role in raising him until her recent death.
- While driving, Alicia unconsciously ends up outside Meera’s house and reflects on a past kiss they shared.
- She drives home along the river and contemplates suicide, stopping only because of her commitment to her sisters.
Character Development
Alicia Connelly: This chapter deepens Alicia’s portrait as a devoted sister and a compassionate child‑welfare worker. Her caution about the police contrasts with her usual risk‑taking nature, showing her protective side. Her interaction with Aaron reveals her ability to build trust with vulnerable youth, and her question about his parents—usually avoided—shows a growing openness. The recollection of the kiss with Meera and her refusal to pursue it highlight her fear of intimacy and low self‑worth. Most strikingly, her suicidal thoughts expose a long‑standing darkness; she only lives for her sisters.
Jessica: Although not present for most of the chapter, Jessica’s earlier anxiety and insistence on control show her as the cautious, protective sister who worries about legal consequences.
Aaron: The teen’s matter‑of‑fact tone and his honesty about his mother and grandmother reveal resilience and a need for stability. His request for scholarship help shows ambition.
Meera: Though not seen directly, Meera’s character is established through Alicia’s admiration: intelligent, passionate, and kind. Her role as a child‑protection lawyer parallels Alicia’s work.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Sisterhood as a lifeline: Alicia’s reason to live is her sisters. This theme recurs throughout the book, and here it literally prevents suicide.
Trauma and its echoes: Alicia’s nightly ritual of driving toward Meera’s house and her intrusive suicidal thoughts suggest unresolved childhood trauma. Her hesitation to embrace love (with Meera) mirrors her inability to escape the past.
Connection and care: The phone call with Aaron contrasts the dysfunction of Alicia’s own foster history with the positive connection she can build with a child in need. The motif of “late‑night calls” from foster kids signals that Alicia is a safe adult.
Water as release: The river imagery near the chapter’s end symbolizes both death and a false promise of peace. Alicia’s refusal to drive into it reinforces her commitment to the living.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is pivotal for understanding Alicia’s internal conflict. It reveals her suicidal ideation, which explains her reckless past behavior and her reluctance to form healthy relationships. It also ties her work with foster children directly to her own childhood, making her empathy more personal. The details about Aaron’s background and the pending trip to Port Agatha raise the stakes: Alicia must confront both the police investigation and her own demons. The chapter deepens the mystery of what happened to the sisters as children and foreshadows how their past may be exposed.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Alicia decide not to bring a lawyer to the police meeting?
Alicia believes that arriving with a lawyer would look guilty and damage the sisters’ credibility. She agrees to “play it by ear” and only get a lawyer if the police show hostility.
2. How does the phone call with Aaron affect Alicia emotionally?
The call leaves Alicia feeling “whole” and connected. Aaron’s story about his grandmother Doris and his matter‑of‑fact resilience touches her, offering a brief respite from her own darkness.
3. What does Alicia’s hesitation to pursue a relationship with Meera reveal about her?
Alicia’s history of seeking dysfunctional partners and her belief that a relationship “would never work out long‑term” reveal deep‑seated feelings of unworthiness and fear of intimacy. The kiss with Meera—and her subsequent refusal to discuss it—shows she sabotages positive connections.