I Have Some Questions for You Chapter 40: #4: Puja Sharma
⚠️ 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 the curtain call of the school play, Puja Sharma intercepts Thalia Keith backstage and asks to talk. Puja feels slighted that Thalia has not invited her to the cast party and that Thalia treats her like an embarrassing relation. They walk behind the gym, where Puja shows Thalia how to sneak into the pool area. The two strip to their swimwear and jump in. Puja confesses her hurt; Thalia dismissively tells her to “ride it out” until college. Enraged, Puja slaps Thalia hard. When Thalia retorts that this is why people have issues with her, Puja grabs Thalia’s swimsuit strap, yanks her forward, and shoves her back. Thalia’s head strikes the pool edge with a sickening sound. In the ensuing struggle, Puja pushes Thalia down on the lane line and accidentally holds her under. After Thalia goes still and slips beneath the surface, Puja climbs out, dresses, and watches the race clock for five minutes. She then runs back to the dorm, where she sets popcorn in the microwave for fifteen minutes to create a diversion. Two weeks later, unable to sleep and haunted by whispered accusations from other students, Puja wanders off and disappears. A letter from her father calling Granby “paradise” pushes her over the edge.
Key Events
- Puja feels excluded from Thalia’s social circle and confronts her after the play.
- Thalia dismisses Puja’s concerns and suggests they will be friends once they are in college.
- Puja slaps Thalia, then grabs and shoves her, causing Thalia to hit her head on the pool edge.
- A violent struggle in the water ends with Puja pushing Thalia under the surface.
- Puja climbs out, watches the clock for five minutes, and leaves Thalia unconscious in the pool.
- She returns to her dorm and sets a popcorn fire to delay discovery.
- In the following weeks, whispers from other girls cause Puja to stop sleeping.
- Two weeks later, after a letter from her father, Puja runs away.
Character Development
- Puja Sharma: This chapter reveals Puja’s capacity for extreme violence under emotional pressure. Her jealousy and desire for Thalia’s approval morph into rage and a survival instinct. After the attack, she coldly calculates how to avoid detection—using a microwave fire as a distraction—yet later breaks down from guilt and paranoia. Her final act of running away underscores her inability to face the consequences.
- Thalia Keith: Though we see Thalia only briefly before the attack, her casual dismissal of Puja highlights her social privilege and thoughtlessness. Her death is shown as a tragic accident triggered by Puja’s uncontrolled fury.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Violence and Jealousy: Puja’s jealousy over Thalia’s friendship and status escalates to physical assault, showing how unchecked envy can lead to irreversible harm.
- Concealment and Guilt: Puja’s attempt to hide the crime—the microwave fire, the timing—illustrates her desperate bid to preserve normalcy. Yet her eventual insomnia and flight reveal that guilt cannot be erased.
- Paradise and Delusion: Puja’s father describes Granby as “paradise,” but the phrase mocks her reality. The school’s idyllic setting contrasts starkly with the violence that just occurred, emphasizing the gap between appearances and truth.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 40 is the pivotal moment of the novel: it provides the definitive account of Thalia Keith’s death. Until now, the reader has only heard theories and suspicions. Here, the narrative finally shows Puja as the direct perpetrator, dispelling any ambiguity about who killed Thalia. The chapter also deepens our understanding of Puja’s psychology—her desperation, her coldness, and her eventual disintegration—which shapes the later investigation and the story’s moral complexity.
Study Questions and Answers
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What does Puja’s decision to slap Thalia before the physical fight suggest about her emotional state?
Puja is overwhelmed by feelings of rejection and inferiority. The slap is a reflex of wounded pride; she wants to hurt Thalia as she feels hurt. It shows that her anger is not premeditated but erupts from a deep well of insecurity. -
Why does Puja set a microwave fire after leaving Thalia in the pool?
She needs to create chaos that will delay anyone from noticing Thalia’s absence. The fire gives her an alibi (she was in the dorm) and distracts attention from the pool. It is a calculated move to buy herself time and muddy any investigation. -
What does the letter from Puja’s father add to her decision to run away?
The word “paradise” shatters Puja’s last hope of coping. She realizes that she has destroyed the only “paradise” she had—Granby and its promise of a fresh start—and the irony is unbearable. The letter triggers her final breakdown, convincing her that she cannot stay.