Chapter 25: Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes
⚠️ 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
After leaving the Bishops' farmhouse, Josie and Tom drive through the dark Vermont countryside. Josie, still reeling from what she learned about her mother's possible involvement in Bellanger's death, tells Tom everything in a blunt, detached manner. Tom listens without surprise; he admits he already suspected that one of the Homestead women—not Ricky Peters—was responsible for Bellanger's murder. He explains that something went wrong long before the fire, and that Lily-Anne's death should have united the women but instead drove them apart. Josie feels a mix of gratitude and resentment that Tom kept this suspicion from her, and she struggles to hold back tears.
Josie insists on visiting the Homestead, despite Tom's warning that it's not well-maintained. They arrive to find the site overgrown and vandalized: graffiti covers tree trunks, trash and beer bottles litter the ground, and a few weather-damaged memorial wreaths remain. Josie reflects on how the forest has regrown after the fire, and Tom offers a metaphor about how a forest after a fire can become a completely different ecosystem. Josie realizes she has misread her mother's silence—she thought it meant her mother wanted to move on from the past, but now she understands it may have been hiding and protecting another woman, a Margaret Morrow who is both a fugitive and a killer.
Josie declares she needs to ask her mother directly, but fears she may never find her. Tom suggests other Homesteaders—the Kims, the Grassis, the Strouds—might know more, and reminds her that her mother visited Emily and Deb. Josie, however, decides to go straight to the source: she wants to visit Ricky Peters in prison, believing he'll be eager to tell his side of the story. Tom warns that getting into a prison requires approval and background checks, but Josie is determined to try.
Exhausted, Josie falls asleep in the car. She wakes to a sharp knock on the window and fears the stranger in the maroon sedan has found them. Instead, she sees Isabelle, who has taken a taxi to the Homestead, guessing they'd be there. Isabelle stands with two suitcases and announces she is coming with them, her demeanor transformed—no longer deferent, but sharp and resolute.
Key Events
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Josie tells Tom about her mother's possible role in Bellanger's death; Tom admits he already suspected a Homestead woman.
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Josie insists on visiting the Homestead, and Tom reluctantly agrees.
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They find the Homestead overgrown, vandalized, and littered with trash and memorial wreaths.
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Tom shares a metaphor about forest regrowth after a fire, which resonates with Josie.
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Josie decides she must ask her mother directly, but fears she may never find her.
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Tom suggests other Homesteaders might have information.
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Josie resolves to visit Ricky Peters in prison, despite Tom's warning about the difficulty.
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Isabelle arrives unexpectedly by taxi, carrying suitcases, and declares she is joining them.
Character Development
Josie is in a state of emotional turmoil throughout the chapter. She processes the revelation about her mother by detaching herself from the story, speaking