Chapter 17 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

Marlowe wakes late, drenched in sweat from a nightmare in which police officers enter her playhouse room through the window, holding up pieces of ladder and looming over her. Though she knows logically they aren't there when she opens her eyes, she reflects that guilty dreams bleed into reality for her—and she had been doing something questionable the night before.

She skips her shower, panics into her Morning House shirt, and hurries to her post near the house entrance. On the way she nearly collides with one of the black swans, which makes a demonic noise, stretches out what seems like a twenty-foot wingspan, and lunges at her. In her sleepless confusion it feels like being chased by a black dragon, and she scrambles up to the veranda from the side.

There's no boatload of people coming up the path. Van is stretched out on a lawn chair with coffee and his vape, scrolling his phone. He tells her there's no rush—police have called off tours for the morning and are searching the water around the island, with everyone extra nervous because of the storm. Liani and Tom cross the lawn together in bathing suits, heading toward the lagoon, and wave.

Marlowe asks if Van has seen Riki. He hasn't. She goes back toward the door, avoiding the swans, and enters the hall she'd been in just a few hours before. She jogs up the steps toward Riki's turret, driven by an impulse to see her, to confirm that last night really happened. She knocks. No answer. She recalls that they did climb ladders and photograph research and sit on the floor together—but then Riki went to bed. Feeling deflated, she walks back down.

She pauses by the large room that leads to the high balcony where Dr. Henson does yoga. She goes to the little storage closet where Dr. Henson keeps her mat, presses the panel, and opens it. Inside are the broom, the mop, all the usual things—but no yoga mat. Marlowe wonders why Dr. Henson would have taken it to her room instead of putting it back, especially if it was wet. She thinks about the paddleboard drifting down the river on its own, and the dry mark on the ground she'd seen. Dr. Henson had told her she kept the mat up here, but it was back in her room.

Marlowe considers mentioning this to the cops, but realizes they'd ask when she saw it in the closet. She could lie and say she saw it yesterday morning when the research student was waiting—but she can't tell them she saw it when she and Riki broke into the room at four in the morning on a flying trapeze to record all her work. She starts to hyperventilate, leans against the wall, and takes long breaths. She rationalizes: the yoga mat being in her closet means nothing. Normally doesn't mean always. She brought her mat back to her room. It had nothing to do with being lost in the river.

She rejoins Van outside. April was looking for her with a cinnamon roll. Van asks if she's okay, offers the vape, and she declines. He asks what's going on with her and Riki. She says nothing. Van tells her he gets it—he went out with the bad boy too. Chris. Mr. Christopher Nelson.

Van shares a story about Chris: his family let him foster dogs, and he once carried around a newborn puppy in a sling against his chest, bottle-feeding it between classes. Van describes the puppy—tan, with floppy ears about the size of a thumbnail, a tiny pink belly, eyes closed. He asks Marlowe if she knows what it's like seeing the hottest person you know carrying around a tiny blind puppy in a sling.

Van explains the other side of Chris: he knew people, didn't like bullshit, and lied honestly. Everyone knew he hooked up with about half the tourists he took on Jet Ski tours. He cheated on Liani. But if you needed him in the middle of the night, you could call him—he was probably up with a foster dog anyway.

Van reveals that Chris didn't cheat on him—they weren't dating-dating. Van just asked Chris to tell him if he hooked up with someone. Chris didn't tell him. Van found out from someone else the night of the party, was pissed, argued with Chris, and walked away. He went back to get another drink, dance, yell at the moon. He was going to go back and make up. But when he walked away, Chris fell.

For the first time, Van's jovial expression cracks. Some people even thought Van pushed him. He had to talk to the police—they all did. He notes they've done this already this year. He reflects that a lot of them would have wanted to push Chris off a cliff at one time or another—that was what made him the best, he made no sense.

Van wipes the serious expression and returns to his half smile. He explains that they had a Chris-shaped hole in everything, and then Marlowe appeared. He thinks he knows why Dr. Henson wanted her to come—they were all in a daze, and having someone new shook things up. He says he gets it: he liked the person who was trouble.

Marlowe asks if Riki is trouble. Van advises her not to worry about that story—it isn't sparking joy. As they speak, Riki appears from below, coming up the steep slope from the boathouse, carrying a shopping bag with long, determined strides. She calls to Marlowe, saying she needs to show her something.

Van leans over and quietly gives his blessing: don't let anyone give you shit about Riki; go forth and multiply. Marlowe protests they're not—but Van insists they will be, tapping his nose, noting she doesn't live here and won't have to deal with any fallout. He flaps his hand, telling her to run off.

As Marlowe follows Riki toward the house, Van adds: by the way, he had about forty milligrams of edible this morning and isn't sure if it kicked in, so maybe don't take his advice.

Riki mumbles, asking what he's talking about. Marlowe looks at her—same smudged black liner, oversized black clothing, gray clouds making her eyes stand out like gems. Puppies, Marlowe replies. She thinks: it wasn't a lie.

Key Events

Marlowe wakes from a guilt-driven nightmare about police and nearly collides with a black swan on her way to her post
Van reports that tours are canceled and police are searching the water around the island due to the storm
Marlowe finds Riki's room empty and checks Dr. Henson's storage closet, discovering the yoga mat is missing
Marlowe realizes she can't report the missing mat without admitting to breaking into Dr. Henson's room
Van shares the story of Chris's death, his own police questioning, and the Chris-shaped hole left behind
Van suggests Dr. Henson invited Marlowe to shake up the stagnant atmosphere
Riki arrives from the boathouse with a shopping bag and summons Marlowe
Van gives his blessing for Marlowe and Riki, then admits to taking edibles
Marlowe deflects Riki's question about Van's words with a remark about puppies

Character Development

Marlowe continues to carry the weight of her secret. Her nightmare about police entering through the window of her playhouse room directly reflects her anxiety about the previous night's break-in. The chapter shows her internal conflict escalating: she discovers physical evidence (the missing yoga mat) that could be relevant to Dr. Henson's disappearance, but she can't act on it without exposing her own wrongdoing. Her rationalization—normally doesn't mean always—shows her trying to convince herself that the mat's absence means nothing, even as she hyperventilates. Her final deflection to Riki (Puppies) demonstrates her growing skill at what Van calls honest lying—a phrase that echoes her own situation.

Van emerges as a more complex figure. His jovial exterior cracks when he recounts Chris's death. He was questioned by police, and some people thought he pushed Chris. His story about the puppy in the sling humanizes Chris while also revealing Van's own grief and lingering guilt. His observation that a lot of them would have wanted to push Chris off a cliff suggests the group's collective baggage. His theory about Dr. Henson inviting Marlowe to shake things up adds a new layer to the mystery—was Marlowe brought in deliberately to disrupt the status quo?

Riki remains somewhat opaque but is shown to be proactive—she's been to the boathouse and has something to show Marlowe. Her appearance is described in detail (smudged black liner, oversized black clothing, eyes standing out against the gray sky), suggesting Marlowe's growing attraction.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Guilt and guilty dreams. Marlowe's nightmare about police is explicitly tied to her guilt over the break-in. The chapter opens with her waking in a sweat, and the dream bleeds into reality. This motif connects to Van's story about being questioned after Chris's death—both characters carry guilt, whether justified or not.

Secrecy and physical evidence. The missing yoga mat is a crucial piece of physical evidence that Marlowe can't use because of her own secret. This creates a trap: the more she hides, the less she can help the investigation. The chapter explores how secrets compound and limit choices.

Rationalization. Marlowe's internal monologue shows her actively talking herself out of concern—normally doesn't mean always. This is a clear example of rationalization as a coping mechanism, and it's presented as dangerous: she's dismissing a potential clue.

Grief and loss. Van's story about Chris is a meditation on grief. The Chris-shaped hole is a vivid image of how loss leaves a void that affects everyone. Van's description of Chris—trouble, but also the best—captures the complexity of mourning someone who was both beloved and difficult.

The black swan. The swan that lunges at Marlowe is described as a black dragon in her sleepless confusion. It's a moment of surreal menace that mirrors her internal state—she's being chased by something she can't quite name.

Honest lying. Van's phrase he lied honestly is a paradox that applies to Marlowe as well. She tells Riki Puppies and thinks it wasn't a lie—a perfect example of honest lying, saying something true that conceals the full truth.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery on multiple fronts. The missing yoga mat is a concrete piece of evidence that connects Dr. Henson's disappearance to her room—and Marlowe's secret prevents her from sharing it. This creates dramatic tension: the reader knows something the police don't, and Marlowe's guilt is actively obstructing the investigation.

Van's backstory about Chris adds crucial context to the Morning House community. The fact that police questioned everyone after Chris's death—and that they've done this already this year—suggests a pattern of death and investigation on the island. Van's theory about Dr. Henson inviting Marlowe to shake things up reframes her presence: she may not be a random hire but a deliberate catalyst.

The chapter also develops the Marlowe-Riki relationship, with Van's blessing and Marlowe's deflected Puppies response. This romantic thread adds stakes and warmth to a chapter otherwise dominated by guilt and grief.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why can't Marlowe report the missing yoga mat to the police?

Marlowe discovered the mat was missing when she and Riki broke into Dr. Henson's room at four in the morning to photograph her research. If she reports the mat's absence, the police will ask how she knows it's missing, and she would have to admit to the break-in. She briefly considers lying about when she saw it, but she knows the truth would eventually spill out. Her secret directly prevents her from helping the investigation.

2. What does Van's story about Chris reveal about the Morning House community?

Van's story reveals that the community is still processing Chris's death. He was questioned by police, and some people suspected he pushed Chris. Van describes a Chris-shaped hole in everything—suggesting Chris's absence affected everyone. The fact that they've done this already this year implies a pattern of police involvement. Van's theory that Dr. Henson invited Marlowe to shake things up suggests the community was stuck in a daze, and a newcomer was meant to disrupt that stagnation.

3. How does the chapter use the concept of honest lying?

Van uses the phrase to describe Chris: he lied honestly in the sense that everyone knew his flaws (hooking up with tourists, cheating on Liani), but he was also genuinely reliable when it mattered. Marlowe applies this concept herself at the end of the chapter when Riki asks what Van said. Marlowe answers Puppies—which is technically true, since Van did talk about puppies, but it conceals the full content of the conversation. She thinks it wasn't a lie, demonstrating how honest lying works: saying something true that obscures the truth.