Chapter 12 Summary, Analysis, and Key Moments

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with the arrival of Teresa, a hospice nurse hired by Paul. Alison is immediately struck by Teresa's unconventional appearance—faded leggings, Birkenstocks, a Grateful Dead T-shirt, and an amethyst crystal necklace—and assumes her mother will disapprove. To Alison's surprise, Mavis warms to Teresa instantly, even joking that she is a saint. The two bond over a shared love of the Grateful Dead, and Mavis reveals a hidden past: during college, she and her friend Bobbi followed the band across New England, selling wire-wrapped crystal jewelry at shows. Alison is stunned, realizing she never knew this side of her mother.

Teresa proceeds with the hospice intake, reviewing the medication schedule and setting up a detailed chart. She explains the use of long-acting and short-acting morphine, as well as Ativan for anxiety, and instructs Alison on how to document doses. When Mavis rates her pain at seven, Teresa administers a dose of short-acting morphine, and Mavis soon falls asleep.

Alison then raises her concern about Mavis's nighttime wandering from the previous night. Teresa advises putting up bed rails, increasing the Ativan dose before bed, and using a baby monitor to hear if Mavis gets up. She warns that a fall could be dangerous and emphasizes keeping Mavis comfortable at home. Alison agrees, though she privately recalls her mother's unsettling words from the night before: that Alison is the one in danger.

After Teresa leaves, Alison calls her friend Penny to talk through her anxieties. Penny encourages her to stay present and not let worry spiral. Alison then goes to the basement to find the old baby monitor, and while digging through a box of baby items, she is flooded with nostalgia. She reflects on her unplanned pregnancy with Olivia, which happened when she was thirty-seven and on the pill. She remembers Mark's reassurance that there are no accidents and his description of the pregnancy as a leap of faith they would take together.

Later, Alison enters Izzy's room, feeling guilty about invading her daughter's privacy. She notices the usual clutter and the strange art pieces Izzy has made from trash, including a collage with a monster with glowing red eyes. As she stands still, she hears a faint buzzing. Remembering her nightmare of her mother as an insect angel, she hesitantly opens the curtains and discovers dozens of large flies clustered on the window, forming a mass shaped like a human hand. She forces them outside, swats the stragglers, and cleans up the mess. She searches the room for a food source that might have attracted them but finds nothing.

Key Events

Teresa arrives and immediately connects with Mavis over the Grateful Dead, revealing Mavis's hidden past as a Deadhead.
Teresa completes the hospice intake, reviews medications, and administers morphine when Mavis rates her pain at seven.
Alison asks about Mavis's nighttime wandering; Teresa recommends bed rails, a higher Ativan dose, and a baby monitor.
Alison calls Penny to discuss her fears about her mother.
Alison finds the old baby monitor in the basement and reflects on her unplanned pregnancy with Olivia.
In Izzy's room, Alison discovers a swarm of flies on the window, forces them outside, and finds no explanation for their presence.

Character Development

Alison's internal conflict deepens in this chapter. She oscillates between wanting to believe her mother is genuinely changing and fearing that Mavis is manipulating her. The revelation about Mavis's Grateful Dead past makes Alison long to know her mother better, yet the memory of Mavis's warning—that Alison is in danger—keeps her on edge. Alison's guilt about invading Izzy's room shows her respect for her daughter's autonomy, but her fear overrides that respect, highlighting her growing paranoia.

Mavis is portrayed as unexpectedly charming and vulnerable, especially with Teresa. Her willingness to share stories from her youth suggests a softer side, but Alison's skepticism leaves the reader questioning whether this is genuine or a performance.

Teresa emerges as a compassionate and practical presence. She normalizes end-of-life anxiety, provides clear medical guidance, and treats Mavis with warmth, creating a stark contrast to Alison's fraught relationship with her mother.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

End-of-life care: The chapter details the practical and emotional realities of hospice, from medication schedules to the challenge of keeping a dying patient safe and comfortable.
Hidden past: Mavis's Grateful Dead revelation underscores how little Alison knows about her mother's life before her, reinforcing the theme of hidden histories.
Maternal threat: Alison's fear of her mother persists, now tied to the memory of Mavis's warning. The insect imagery from Alison's nightmare resurfaces in the form of the flies.
Insect imagery: The swarm of flies, described as a mass shaped like a human hand, evokes decay and menace, linking Mavis's presence to something unnatural and threatening.
Surveillance: The baby monitor, intended to keep Mavis safe, also symbolizes the invasive watching that permeates the household—Alison monitoring her mother, and her own fear of being watched.
Privacy invasion: Alison's guilt about searching Izzy's room highlights the tension between care and control, a motif that recurs throughout the novel.
Nostalgia and leap of faith: Alison's memories of Olivia's pregnancy contrast the planned, joyful leap of faith with the current, unplanned and frightening situation with her mother.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the novel's central tensions. It establishes the practical framework of hospice care while simultaneously amplifying Alison's psychological unease. The revelation of Mavis's hidden past complicates Alison's view of her mother, making her more sympathetic yet also more unknowable. The fly swarm serves as a visceral symbol of the threat Alison senses, linking her nightmare to reality and foreshadowing darker events. The chapter also reinforces the theme of surveillance and privacy, as Alison's attempts to protect her family blur into invasive behavior.

Study Questions

Why does Alison react with such shock to Mavis's Grateful Dead past?

Alison's shock stems from the stark contrast between the mother she knows—critical, distant, and controlling—and the free-spirited young woman who followed a band and sold jewelry. The revelation forces Alison to confront how little she truly knows about her mother's life, deepening her unease about who Mavis really is.

What does the baby monitor symbolize in this chapter?

The baby monitor represents both care and surveillance. Teresa suggests it to keep Mavis safe, but for Alison it becomes a tool of vigilance, echoing her constant watchfulness over her mother. It also parallels Alison's invasion of Izzy's room, highlighting the uncomfortable line between protection and intrusion.

What might the flies in Izzy's room represent?

The flies, described as a mass shaped like a human hand, evoke decay, corruption, and the lingering threat of Mavis's presence. They connect to Alison's nightmare of her mother as an insect angel, suggesting that the danger Alison fears is not just psychological but may have a tangible, sinister reality.