Chapter 21: Summary, Themes, and Analysis
⚠️ 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 Alison and Mark in bed, sharing the quiet end-of-day ritual Alison usually treasures. Alison is filling Mark in on Paul Deegan's abrupt departure earlier that day, explaining that she overheard her mother, Mavis, arguing with Paul and asking him to do something he refused. Alison admits she has tried calling and emailing Paul without success. Mark suggests Paul is likely feeling guilty about leaving so suddenly, given his long history with Mavis. Alison reflects on Paul's strange position in her mother's life—living in the carriage house, serving as her assistant, and knowing Mavis in a way Alison never could. She wonders what hold Mavis had over him and what he might have refused.
Alison then tells Mark about her mother's bizarre claims: that her real name is Azha, that she has many names, and that she asked Olivia to call her Needle Sivam (which is Mavis Eldeen backward). Mark dismisses the concerns, attributing them to Mavis's illness and medication. He advises Alison to stop looking for sinister meanings and to get some sleep. Alison agrees, but after Mark falls asleep, she opens her laptop and searches for the name Azha. She finds that Azha is a star in the constellation Eridanus, but she also clicks a link that describes Azha as an ancient female demon with the body of a serpent and the head of a bird, known for offering wealth and fame in exchange for a soul.
As she reads, her phone buzzes. It is Sergeant Herrera from the New York State Police, calling to inform her that Paul Deegan was killed in a car accident on Route 212. The sergeant explains that Paul hit a patch of ice, lost control, and flipped down an embankment. The top of the vehicle was sheared off, and Paul was decapitated. Alison is devastated, recalling Paul's last words to her—That's not Mavis—and her mother's earlier remark that Paul had