Chapter 32 Summary and Analysis – I Have Some Questions for You
⚠️ 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
A full day has passed since the events of the previous chapter. Bodie Kane sits at Aroma Mocha with a laptop and a latte, watching the street across from the café. She spots Robbie Serenho and his wife Jen with their three children buying soft-serve ice cream. Robbie is unmistakable in a dark blue parka, Jen in her maroon coat, the kids bouncing around.
Bodie is waiting for Amy March and Beth. After Bodie left a long voicemail, Amy stalled in court all day, taking excessive time examining a State Police detective. Geoff texted Bodie that Amy is dragging out the proceedings. The plan is for Beth to be recalled out of order using her husband’s upcoming surgery, so that by the time Robbie takes the stand, Amy can question him directly about Beth’s testimony.
While she waits, Bodie watches Robbie interact with his children. He picks up the youngest, swings her by the armpits, and sets her down. Bodie feels the universe stand still. She reflects that Robbie is the person she has been looking for all these years, the person living the life Omar deserved and the life Thalia deserved. She cannot wait to destroy him.
Yet Bodie also sees someone with young children who love him and a wife who loves him. She thinks about the children. Even if Robbie avoids trial, keeps his job, and preserves his marriage, his children will grow up in overwhelming shadow. Bodie contrasts this with her own children, who might learn about an art piece made about their father and react in various ways.
Bodie reminds herself that this is murder, strangulation and assault. Robbie bashed in Thalia’s head and left her to drown. It is an abuse of privilege from a boarding school star, a stock character they have seen before. She clarifies that she is not thinking of sparing his future. She looks at him and knows she is looking at a murderer. But she did not expect to feel like a killer herself, someone reaching out to end something.
She reflects that not a single cell of Robbie’s body is the same as in 1995, but he is still himself, just as she is still her teenage self. She has grown over that self like rings around a tree’s core. The chapter ends with Robbie swinging his daughter left, right, left, right, with the children eating strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream.
Key Events
- Bodie observes Robbie Serenho with his wife and three children from across the street.
- Bodie learns that Amy March is delaying court proceedings to set up Beth’s recall and Robbie’s eventual testimony.
- Bodie wrestles with the decision to pursue Robbie, knowing it will destroy his family.
- Bodie identifies Robbie unequivocally as Thalia’s murderer.
- Bodie acknowledges feeling like a killer herself for the act of exposing the truth.
- The chapter emphasizes the passage of time and the persistence of identity.
Character Development
Bodie Kane: This chapter marks a turning point in Bodie’s internal journey. She confronts the full moral weight of her actions. Rather than seeking abstract justice, she must face the real, human consequences of destroying a man’s family. Her empathy for the children clashes with her certainty of Robbie’s guilt. Bodie sees herself as still connected to her teenage self, layered but unchanged at the core. This recognition deepens her sense of complicity.
Robbie Serenho: Robbie is shown as a father, affectionate with his children. This humanizing glimpse does not exonerate him; instead, it complicates Bodie’s mission. Robbie remains the murderer she has long suspected, but the private, domestic side of his life forces Bodie to consider the full cost of bringing him to justice.
Amy March and Beth: Though not physically present in the scene, their roles are central. Amy’s legal maneuvering and Beth’s upcoming testimony are the catalysts for the confrontation. Their presence offstage underscores the collaborative effort to expose Robbie.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Moral Ambiguity of Justice: Bodie explicitly compares herself to a killer, not because she is violent but because she is about to end something—Robbie’s life as he knows it. The chapter questions whether exacting justice can ever be clean.
Innocence of Children: The children’s ice cream and playful swinging contrast sharply with the grave stakes. Bodie’s focus on the children highlights how truth often wounds the blameless.
Identity and Time: Bodie reflects on the unchanging core of a person despite cellular renewal. Both she and Robbie remain essentially who they were in 1995, suggesting that trauma and guilt persist beneath new layers.
The Domino Effect: The upcoming testimony is described as dominos falling, emphasizing that one truth triggers irreversible consequences.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 32 is the emotional fulcrum of the novel. It transitions Bodie from investigator to active agent of consequence. The chapter crystallizes the central dilemma: is it just to pursue a murderer when it will devastate innocent lives? Bodie’s confrontation with Robbie’s family injects real human cost into what might otherwise be a straightforward crime narrative. The chapter also reinforces the novel’s meditation on time and identity, reminding readers that the past is never truly past. By placing Bodie in a position of moral discomfort, Makkai deepens her character and raises the stakes for the courtroom drama ahead.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Bodie describe herself as “a killer” in this chapter? Bodie feels like a killer because she is about to deliberately destroy Robbie’s life by exposing his past crimes. She knows that even if Robbie is never convicted, his family will suffer irreparable harm. The term reflects her sense of complicity in the collateral damage of truth.
2. How does the motif of children serve the chapter’s theme? The children represent innocence caught in the crossfire. Their presence humanizes Robbie but also amplifies the tragedy: his victims (Thalia and Omar) also had futures that were stolen. Bodie’s focus on the children forces her—and the reader—to weigh the cost of justice against the protection of the blameless.
3. What does Bodie mean when she says she has “grown over” her teenage self like tree rings? Bodie means that while she has changed and matured, her fundamental identity remains continuous. The teenage version of herself still exists at her core, shaped by the events at Granby. This suggests that trauma and memory are permanent layers, not erased by time.