Chapter 10 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

⚠️ 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

Alison wakes at 3:03 AM to the sound of Moxie, the family dog, growling at the foot of the bed. She has just emerged from a nightmare in which she is a child in her mother's old Woodstock house, hunted by a figure that is part woman, part insect, wearing a pink dress trimmed with gold—the same dress worn by the new glass angel in the living room. The creature's voice buzzes like insects, and its abdomen is bulbous with six skittering legs. Alison shakes Mark awake, but he dismisses the noise as a deer and quotes Emily Dickinson before rolling over. Moxie, unusually cautious and fearful, creeps down the hallway. Alison follows, checking on her daughters: Olivia is asleep surrounded by stuffed animals, and Izzy is asleep with headphones on. In Izzy's room, Alison notices a copy of the I Ching and a deck of tarot cards, and reflects that her daughter has become a secret keeper, just as Alison herself was at that age.

Moxie stops at the top of the stairs, growling deeply. Alison hears a hiss from downstairs and sees flickering lights. She follows the dog into the living room, where she finds her mother sitting on the couch, staring at a television screen filled with static, holding the remote. Her mother is confused, asking Alison what she is doing there, and calls her by a childhood nickname,