Chapter 35: Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes
⚠️ 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 an overnight drive from Pennsylvania, Josephine and Isabelle stop at a North Carolina gas station in the predawn hours. Inside, while stocking up on snacks, Isabelle becomes transfixed by a television report. The screen shows an old photograph of Patricia Bishop, followed by a newscaster announcing her death. Isabelle, eerily calm, tells Josephine that the men from Kithira killed Patricia—they were hunting Isabelle but found her mother instead.
The cashier overhears and freezes. Isabelle, overwhelmed by grief and rage, grabs the woman's wrist and uses her power to draw blood from the cashier's mouth, staining her blouse. Josephine tries to intervene but hesitates, unwilling to use her own powers against Isabelle. Isabelle releases the cashier, and the two flee to the Volvo, where Tom and Cate wait.
Once inside the car, Isabelle confesses that before leaving, she accidentally injured her mother during an argument. Patricia had planned to lock Isabelle in her room to prevent her from leaving. Isabelle grabbed her mother, and suddenly blood appeared—her power had manifested in a violent, unintended way. She explains that she can feel and twist people's insides, pulling blood to the surface. She also reveals that the news report showed Patricia's basement, meaning the film proving Fiona's identity is now in hostile hands. Josephine grieves for Patricia, feeling that she has brought more harm to the Homesteaders rather than avenging them.
Key Events
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Isabelle sees a news report announcing Patricia Bishop's death, killed by men from Kithira.
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Isabelle attacks the gas station cashier with her power, drawing blood from her mouth.
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The group flees to the Volvo and drives away.
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Isabelle confesses that she accidentally hurt her mother before leaving, and that Patricia had planned to lock her in her room.
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Isabelle explains the nature of her power: she can feel and twist people's insides, pulling blood to the surface.
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Isabelle reveals that the news showed Patricia's basement, meaning the film proving Fiona's identity is now in hostile hands.
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Josephine experiences deep grief for Patricia and guilt over her own role in the escalating violence.
Character Development
Josephine is consumed by grief and self-blame. She had believed she was avenging the Strouds, but now she feels she has only opened the door to more violence against the Homesteaders. Her hesitation to use her powers against Isabelle shows her moral struggle—she does not want to become like the people she opposes. She also takes on a protective role, guiding Isabelle away from the scene and comforting her in the car.
Isabelle is shattered by her mother's death. Her initial calm gives way to a confession that reveals her deep guilt: she hurt her mother, broke her heart, and left her alone, then led the killers to her. Her power, which she once desired as a way to be special, has become a source of horror. She describes it as feeling natural, yet she used it to harm someone she loved. Her vulnerability in the car, leaning into Josephine like a child, shows a fragile side beneath her fierce exterior.
Patricia, though dead, looms large in this chapter. Her death is a reminder of the Homesteaders' vulnerability and the cost of the hunt. The film in her basement—proof of Fiona's identity—is now lost, adding a new layer of urgency to the group's mission.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Grief and Loss dominate the chapter. Patricia's death is a sudden, violent loss that reverberates through the group. Josephine's grief is compounded by guilt, as she wonders if her actions have made things worse.
Guilt and Self-Blame are central. Isabelle blames herself for her mother's death, believing she led the killers to her. Josephine also feels responsible for the violence, thinking she has introduced more harm to the world. The two share a