Chapter 15 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter 15 Summary {#summary}

The chapter opens with Margot and Kant standing on the property when they notice an older woman approaching along the driveway with a large dog at her side. As the woman draws closer, Margot realizes she is not as large as she first appeared—the dog is simply small in comparison to her tiny frame. Margot recognizes the woman from the wake: she wears loosely draped clothing in earthy tones and has strikingly pale skin, heavy eyelids, and a braid of white hair.

Kant introduces the woman as Witchety, explaining that she visits the property every few weeks to perform a blessing on the land. Margot immediately connects with the golden retriever, whose name is Marsh. Witchety reveals that Marsh descends from Clementine, the golden retriever Margot's parents owned when she was young, and that they gave Witchety one of Clementine's puppies years ago.

Margot agrees to let Witchety continue the blessing tradition. She initially wonders whether her parents hired Witchety out of genuine superstition about the land, but then considers another possibility: that the blessing was a discreet way to give money to a widow who would have been too proud to accept charity. This thought solidifies Margot's decision to keep Witchety on.

Witchety explains that her name came from childhood, when her parents teasingly called her a