Chapter 9: Thalia Keith Arrives at Granby
⚠️ 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
In Chapter 9, Bodie Kane teaches her first film class of the semester, but her mind is elsewhere: she is waiting for a reply from Yahav. As she screens classic clips—from the Lumière brothers’ train to Psycho—she reflects on the process of orientation and disorientation in film and in life. The presence of a new transfer student from South Africa sparks Bodie’s memory of Thalia Keith’s own arrival at Granby two years late as a junior. Thalia, with her striking appearance and confident laugh, was immediately adopted by the most popular girls and became the object of boys’ competitive attention, including a bingo card to track sexual milestones. Rumors about Thalia circulated: that she had been engaged, had an abortion, or had an affair with a teacher. Bodie recalls how Thalia became her roommate after a series of unfortunate pairings. Thalia brought an array of sweaters and decorations, and her friends helped her move in while Bodie lay on her bed, trying to seem busy. The chapter ends with Bodie remembering the all-in-one rumor that Thalia had slept with a teacher, and she now recognizes how quickly they were to spread gossip without concern.
Key Events
- Bodie autopilots her first film class, showing clips from early cinema to Psycho and discussing what directors show and don’t show.
- A new transfer student from South Africa catches Bodie’s attention; she reflects on how quickly strangers become deeply embedded in one’s psyche.
- Bodie recalls Thalia Keith’s arrival at Granby as a junior transfer, two years late, surrounded by rumors.
- Thalia is immediately adopted by popular girls Rachel Popa, Beth Docherty, Sakina John, and Puja Sharma.
- A bingo card circulates among boys, tracking physical contact with Thalia; she laughs off the attention and owns the joke.
- A long list of rumors about Thalia is remembered, including an abortion, a nose job, and an affair with a teacher.
- Thalia becomes Bodie’s roommate after Bodie’s previous roommates left and Thalia’s first roommate stole a bra.
- Thalia decorates the room and invites her friends to help; Bodie feels left out and puts on earphones.
- Bodie recalls that Donna Goldbeck spread the all-in-one rumor about Thalia and a teacher, and now she feels troubled by the lack of concern they all showed.
Character Development
- Bodie Kane: Bodie is distracted and nostalgic, running her first class on autopilot while her mind drifts to past memories. She reveals her own defensive social strategies—putting on earphones to avoid appearing left out—and admits she was not close to Thalia. Her present-day reflection shows a growing discomfort with how they treated Thalia and the rumors.
- Thalia Keith: Thalia is depicted as charismatic, beautiful, and socially adept, quickly becoming the center of attention. She owns the boys’ objectifying bingo card with a confident laugh, but the rumors that follow her hint at a more vulnerable backstory. Her arrival as a transfer comes with no clear explanation, adding to her mystique.
- Supporting characters: Rachel Popa and Beth Docherty (the “Pantone Twins”) represent the high-status social group that adopts Thalia. Marco Washington, Peewee Walcott, and others are briefly mentioned as boys who participate in the bingo card. Geoff Richler reports the bingo card to Bodie. Donna Goldbeck is the class gossip spreading the all-in-one rumor.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Orientation and disorientation: Bodie’s lecture on film clips—showing a train arriving, a knife, a falling house—parallels the disorienting experience of a new student arriving at Granby. Both film and life require viewers to find their bearings in unfamiliar territory.
- Objectification and competition: The bingo card explicitly treats Thalia as a prize to be won, with boys competing to check off sexual milestones. Bodie notes that for straight boys at that age, “it’s less about the girl than the competition,” likening it to soccer.
- Rumor as social currency: The barrage of rumors about Thalia—from an engagement to an abortion to an affair with a teacher—demonstrates how quickly a new person can become a canvas for others’ narratives. Bodie admits they spread gossip without concern, a behavior she now questions.
- Memory and guilt: Bodie’s present-day discomfort with the rumors suggests that the past is not neutral; she is haunted by her own participation in a culture that did not protect Thalia.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 9 deepens Bodie’s retrospective investigation of Thalia’s life and death. It establishes the social ecosystem in which Thalia thrived and was exploited, and it foregrounds the rumors that will later complicate the murder investigation. The chapter explicitly links the present-day classroom—where Bodie teaches about what a director chooses to show—to the gaps in her own memory and the hidden truths about Thalia. It also introduces the significant rumor of a teacher-student affair, which will become a central suspect theory later. By showing Bodie’s passive role as a roommate who felt invisible, the chapter underscores her complicated connection to this tragedy.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Bodie draw a parallel between the film clips she shows and Thalia’s arrival at Granby?
Bodie talks about “orientation and disorientation” in cinema—how viewers must orient themselves to a new visual world. Thalia’s arrival as a junior transfer was similarly disorienting: she came two years late, without explanation, and the rumors that surrounded her created a false sense of knowing her. Just as a film editor chooses what to show and what to hide, the Granby community filled in Thalia’s blank backstory with speculation.
2. What does the bingo card incident reveal about the social dynamics among Granby boys?
The bingo card objectifies Thalia, reducing her to a series of physical milestones. Bodie notes that the competition among boys matters more than the girl herself. The card shows how a new arrival can become a focus of collective male attention, turning a person into a “ball” in a game. Thalia’s ability to laugh it off suggests her social skill, but the incident also exposes a predatory undercurrent.
3. How does Bodie’s memory of her own behavior during Thalia’s room decoration reflect her broader feelings about the past?
Bodie recalls lying on her bed with earphones, pretending to study to avoid looking left out. This defensive move—acting busy to save face—mirrors her later approach to the murder case: she keeps her involvement limited and rationalized. The memory troubles her now because it reveals her passivity and her failure to truly connect with Thalia, a guilt that colors her present investigation.