Chapter 36 Summary, Analysis, and Discussion Guide

⚠️ 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

This chapter is presented entirely as a one-sided text message exchange on Clifford Island, seven days before Willow's disappearance. The messages come from Connor Hudson to Lily Becker.

Connor opens by telling Lily he is sending her something—a journal article he found about the islands and the strange occurrences there. He clarifies that the article does not mention dead things, but it does address other phenomena: people vanishing on Lake Michigan.

Connor explains that the article lays out patterns of disappearances on the other islands, Shilling and Wallin. According to what he describes, groups of people have vanished sporadically over a one-hundred-year span, until eventually the entire island population is gone and the island is left empty.

He then asks Lily directly whether it might all be true, noting that she has dismissed these events as myths and legends. He apologizes for being dramatic, sends the article, and asks if she is around. When she does not respond, he urges her to read the article as soon as possible, ending with the question: what if the wackos are right?

The chapter contains no action or scene-setting beyond the text messages themselves. Its entire weight rests on the information Connor relays and the urgency of his tone.

Key Events

Connor texts Lily about a journal article he found concerning the islands.
He describes the article's content: disappearances on Shilling and Wallin islands, with groups vanishing sporadically over a one-hundred-year span.
The pattern culminates in the complete depopulation of each island.
Connor challenges Lily's dismissal of these stories as myths and legends.
He sends the article and asks her to read it as soon as possible.
He raises the possibility that the people they consider extremists—the wackos—might be right.

Character Development

Connor Hudson: This exchange reveals Connor as someone actively researching the islands' strange history. He is the one seeking answers, reaching out to Lily with evidence he has found on his own. His tone shifts from casual (opening with a simple greeting) to increasingly urgent as he presses Lily to take the article seriously. He is aware that he might sound alarmist—he apologizes for being dramatic—but he persists anyway. His final question about the wackos being right shows that he is genuinely entertaining the possibility that the people dismissed as extremists have been correct about the islands' dangers.

Lily Becker: Though we only see Connor's side of the conversation, Lily's role is implied through his references to her. She has previously dismissed the island stories as myths and legends, and Connor is trying to change her mind. Her silence in this exchange leaves her position ambiguous—we do not know whether she reads the article or how she responds. This ambiguity matters because it leaves open the question of whether she heeds Connor's warning.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Legend versus reality: Connor directly confronts the tension between what Lily calls myths and what the article suggests might be real patterns. The chapter frames the question of whether the islands' dark history is folklore or documented fact. Connor's growing conviction that the stories might be true challenges the reader to consider the same question.

Mass disappearance and depopulation: The article describes entire island populations vanishing over a century. This establishes a pattern of collective loss that resonates with the novel's larger concerns about the islands. The idea that an entire island can be emptied of people is a chilling prospect that hangs over Clifford Island as well.

The Lake Michigan anomalies: The disappearances are tied specifically to Lake Michigan, grounding the unexplained in a real geographic setting. This suggests the phenomena are not random but connected to a specific place.

The skeptic and the believer: Connor positions himself as someone open to the possibility that the wackos are right, while Lily is characterized as the skeptic who dismisses these accounts. This dynamic sets up a tension that may play out in later chapters.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter serves as a crucial piece of world-building and foreshadowing. It establishes that the disappearances on Clifford Island are not isolated—they follow a documented pattern seen on Shilling and Wallin islands, where populations vanished over a century until the islands were empty. This creates dread about what might happen to Clifford Island and its residents.

The chapter also shows Connor's growing alarm and his attempt to warn Lily. His urgency, seven days before Willow's disappearance, positions this as a missed warning or an overlooked clue. The question of whether Lily reads the article—and whether she acts on it—remains open, adding to the tension.

Finally, the chapter's format is notable. Presenting the information as text messages makes it feel immediate and personal, while also leaving gaps in the conversation. We see only Connor's messages, not Lily's replies, which mirrors the larger mystery of the novel: we are given fragments of information but not the full picture.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What pattern does the journal article describe regarding Shilling and Wallin islands?

The article describes groups of people disappearing sporadically over a one-hundred-year span on Shilling and Wallin islands, until eventually the entire island population is gone and the island is left empty.

2. How does Connor characterize Lily's view of the island stories?

Connor notes that Lily has dismissed these events as myths and legends, and he asks whether it might all be true. His phrasing suggests he is becoming convinced the stories have a basis in reality and wants Lily to reconsider her skepticism.

3. What does Connor's final question—what if the wackos are right?—reveal about his state of mind?

It shows Connor is seriously entertaining the possibility that the people dismissed as extremists have been correct about the islands' dangers. His urgency in sending the article and asking Lily to read it as soon as possible suggests genuine concern, not idle speculation. He is worried enough to risk sounding dramatic.