Chapter 4 Summary, Analysis, and Study 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

Chapter 4 opens on a hot summer afternoon at the Maxwells' pool. Mallory and Teddy are playing their recurring make-believe game, Land of Oz, based on The Wizard of Oz, which Teddy loves despite his parents' strict screen-time rules. Mallory plays every character except Dorothy, and the game ends with Teddy's raft becoming a hot-air balloon back to Kansas. When Mallory gets out to warm up, Teddy asks her a serious question: what happens to people when they die? He wonders if any part of a person stays alive. Mallory, who privately believes in heaven and draws comfort from the idea that her late sister Beth is with angels, remembers her job interview rule: no religion or superstition, teach science. She deflects, telling Teddy to ask his parents. He's frustrated but accepts her non-answer, and they play the melting scene from the movie instead.

While Mallory is lying on the pool deck, a young landscaper named Adrian appears. He's with Lawn King and has come to mow the Maxwells' lawn. Teddy is excited to watch the big mower. Adrian puts on a flashy, reckless demonstration—driving in reverse, popping a wheelie, and stopping inches from the fence. He offers to let Teddy ride, but Mallory refuses. Adrian introduces himself to Mallory, and they make awkward small talk. When Teddy runs inside to fetch a drawing he made for Adrian, Mallory lies about her background, claiming she attends Penn State and runs on the women's cross-country team. She knows it's wrong, especially given her recovery, but she enjoys the fantasy of being a normal teenager. Adrian mentions he's seen her running at night, and then an older man—whom Adrian calls El Jefe—angrily calls him away. Adrian leaves, promising to return in two weeks.

After Teddy showers, Mallory is about to use the outdoor shower when the elderly next-door neighbor, Mitzi, approaches. Mitzi warns Mallory not to sit by the pool when the landscapers are around, making prejudiced remarks about the workers. She then tells Mallory about the history of the guest cottage, which she calls the Devil House. Mitzi explains that a woman named Annie Barrett, an artist, was murdered in the cottage decades ago, right after World War II, though her body was never found. The family turned the cottage into a garden shed, and no one stayed there until Mallory moved in. Mitzi leaves abruptly, and Caroline returns with groceries. Mallory asks about the story, but Caroline dismisses Mitzi as paranoid and drug-addled, pointing out that the previous owners lived there for forty years without problems. Caroline offers Mallory a guest bedroom in the main house, but Mallory declines, saying she likes her own space.

That night, Mallory goes for a run, pushing herself hard through the muggy streets. She returns, showers, eats a frozen pizza and ice cream, and settles into the cottage. She tries to watch a Hallmark movie but can't focus. She opens the curtains for a cross-breeze, checks the flimsy lock on the door, and hears the usual night sounds—crickets, branches scraping, moths hitting the screens. Then she hears a high-frequency humming, like a mosquito near her ear, and sees a gray speck in her peripheral vision. She thinks back to a doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and a research experiment that never happened. For the first time, she feels like someone might be watching her.

Key Events

Teddy asks Mallory what happens to people when they die; she deflects and tells him to ask his parents.
Adrian arrives to mow the lawn and performs a dangerous, showy mowing demonstration.
Teddy gives Adrian a drawing he made; Adrian is delighted and teaches Teddy a Spanish phrase.
Mallory falsely claims she attends Penn State and runs cross-country, then feels guilty about the lie.
El Jefe angrily calls Adrian away, hinting at tension among the landscapers.
Mitzi warns Mallory about the landscapers, then reveals the story of Annie Barrett's murder in the cottage.
Caroline dismisses Mitzi's story as paranoia and offers Mallory a room in the main house, which Mallory declines.
Mallory goes for a strenuous night run, then returns to the cottage.
Late in the evening, Mallory hears a high-frequency humming and feels as though someone is watching her.

Character Development

Mallory continues to struggle with her identity and recovery. She lies to Adrian about her past, and the narrative makes clear she knows it's wrong—recovery requires owning your mistakes. Yet she also finds comfort in the fantasy, which shows her vulnerability and desire to escape her real life. Her interaction with Teddy reveals her protective nature and her internal conflict between her personal beliefs and the rules of her job. She respects the rule about not discussing religion, but she also feels the weight of not being able to answer Teddy's sincere question. Her decision to stay in the cottage, despite Caroline's offer, shows her independence but also sets her up for the unsettling events to come.

Teddy is curious and innocent, asking big questions about death and the afterlife. He's also trusting and generous, giving Adrian a drawing. His love for the Land of Oz game and his excitement over the mower highlight his childlike wonder, but his question about death hints at a deeper awareness.

Adrian is charming and playful, but also mysterious. He's skilled at his job, yet his reckless mowing suggests a rebellious streak. He's observant—he's seen Mallory running at night—and he seems to be more than just a simple landscaper, as Mallory notes his formal handshake and hardened palm.

Mitzi is eccentric and prejudiced, but she also carries the memory of the cottage's dark history. Her warning to Mallory is both racist and genuinely concerned, and her story about Annie Barrett introduces the central mystery of the novel.

Caroline is practical and dismissive, preferring to believe the previous owners' long tenure means the cottage is safe. Her offer to let Mallory stay in the main house shows her care, but her refusal to engage with Mitzi's story leaves Mallory alone with her unease.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Mortality and the afterlife: Teddy's question about death and Mallory's private belief in heaven set up a contrast between faith and the scientific, rule-bound approach she's supposed to follow.
Faith vs. science: Mallory's internal struggle—she believes in angels but is told to teach science—reflects a larger tension in the novel between the rational and the supernatural.
Deception and false identity: Mallory's lie about Penn State is a key moment, showing her desire to escape her past and her guilt about doing so.
Prejudice and racism: Mitzi's comments about the landscapers are explicitly racist, and they also serve to isolate Mallory and make her question who to trust.
Unsolved murder mystery: The story of Annie Barrett introduces the novel's central mystery, and the fact that her body was never found leaves room for supernatural or psychological explanations.
Hidden history of the cottage: The cottage's past as the Devil House and a murder site gives it a sinister weight, and Mallory's ignorance of it makes her vulnerable.
Paranoia and feeling watched: The chapter ends with Mallory's sense of being observed, which could be real or a product of her anxiety and the story she's just heard.
Isolation and vulnerability: Mallory's choice to stay in the cottage, with its flimsy lock and surrounding woods, emphasizes her physical and emotional isolation.
Childhood innocence and escapism: The Land of Oz game is a form of make-believe that lets both Mallory and Teddy escape their realities, but it also contrasts with the darker truths emerging.
The Devil House symbol: The cottage's nickname and its history of violence make it a symbol of hidden evil and the past's refusal to stay buried.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 4 is pivotal because it introduces the novel's central mystery—the murder of Annie Barrett—and plants the seeds of Mallory's growing unease. The chapter also deepens Mallory's character, showing her internal conflict between honesty and self-preservation, and her struggle to reconcile her beliefs with her job's rules. The introduction of Adrian and Mitzi adds layers of potential threat and unreliable information, making it unclear who Mallory can trust. The final scene, with the humming sound and the feeling of being watched, shifts the novel from a realistic domestic drama into a psychological thriller, setting up the supernatural or suspenseful elements that will drive the rest of the story. Mallory's decision to stay in the cottage, despite Caroline's offer, ensures she remains in the path of whatever danger is coming.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Mallory lie to Adrian about attending Penn State, and what does this reveal about her character?

Mallory lies because she doesn't want to admit that her life has gone off the rails and that she isn't a normal college student. She feels that saying "I don't go anywhere" would make her sound like a failure. The lie reveals her deep desire to escape her past and her shame about her recovery. It also shows her vulnerability and her willingness to embrace a fantasy, even though she knows it's wrong. This moment highlights her internal conflict between owning her mistakes and wanting to be seen as someone she isn't.

2. How does Mitzi's story about Annie Barrett affect Mallory, and why does Caroline dismiss it?

Mitzi's story introduces the idea that the cottage has a violent history, and it makes Mallory feel uneasy about sleeping there. The fact that Annie's body was never found leaves the mystery open, and Mallory can't easily dismiss it. Caroline, however, is practical and skeptical. She sees Mitzi as paranoid and drug-addled, and she points out that the previous owners lived in the house for forty years without problems. Caroline's dismissal is a way to reassure Mallory, but it also leaves Mallory alone with her fears, which makes the later events more unsettling.

3. What is the significance of the high-frequency humming at the end of the chapter?

The humming sound is ambiguous—it could be a mosquito, a supernatural presence, or a sign of Mallory's growing paranoia. The narrative connects it to a doctor from the University of Pennsylvania and a research experiment that didn't happen, suggesting that Mallory may have a history with unexplained phenomena or that her mind is playing tricks on her. The sound, combined with the feeling of being watched, marks a turning point in the novel, shifting the tone from realistic to eerie and setting up the mystery that will unfold. It also reinforces the theme of isolation and vulnerability, as Mallory is alone in the cottage with no one to turn to.