Chapter 25 Summary 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 the narrator returning home from a shopping trip. Mark greets her warmly, and she lies to him, saying the trip went well and that she found everything on her list. She describes the gifts she purchased: an iPad Pro for Izzy, a 3D Nutcracker puzzle for Olivia, and an illustrated ballet encyclopedia. Mark playfully tries to peek into the bags, and she chides him.

Mark reports on his day with the narrator's mother, Mavis. Penny and Louise visited, bringing tarts and a crocheted blanket that Mavis now keeps draped over herself. Mark made toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch, and the two played cribbage, a game at which Mavis excelled, skunking him. The activity tired her, and she has been sleeping for the past hour. Mark also arranged for hospice care: Janice will begin daily visits, with another LNA, Paige, available as backup. Penny and Louise have offered additional help.

The narrator asks about her daughters. Olivia is at a friend's house, and Izzy is at school—a detail that initially confuses the narrator until Mark clarifies that Izzy is with Theo and the drama club, participating in a Krampus parade through town. Izzy had invited her mother to watch, calling it an “anti-Christmas art happening.” The narrator remembers the invitation and plans to pick Izzy up after the parade, which ends at the high school around seven.

The narrator then tells Mark she needs to travel to Woodstock the next day. The funeral home director called about arrangements for Paul's service, and she needs to search the carriage house for information about his family or a will. She also needs to check on her mother's house, forward mail, and handle bills and other practical matters. Mark offers to accompany her, but she declines, asking him instead to stay home with Mavis and the girls. He agrees, noting that Gregory, the head of school, has given him time off. Mark jokes about wanting to redeem himself in cribbage, then heads downstairs to start dinner.

Upstairs, the narrator hides the gifts in her closet and her underwear drawer. Passing Izzy's room, she notices the laptop screen glowing. She enters, finds no one, and sits down at the desk. The laptop is open to editing software, showing clips of interviews Izzy recorded with Mavis. Despite knowing Mark would disapprove, the narrator clicks on the first clip.

In the interview, Mavis asks Izzy if she has a boyfriend. Izzy, speaking from behind the camera, says she has a girlfriend named Theo. Mavis asks if Izzy loves Theo, and Izzy admits she does, noting that no one has ever asked her that before. Mavis then reveals that she was in love once—not with her late husband, David Russo, whom she loved but was not “madly in love” with, but with someone named Bobbi.

Key Events

The narrator lies to Mark about her shopping trip, concealing her true experience.
Mark reports on Mavis's day, including visits from Penny and Louise, a cribbage game, and her long nap.
Mark arranges for daily hospice visits from Janice, with Paige as backup.
The narrator learns Izzy is participating in a Krampus parade and plans to pick her up afterward.
The narrator tells Mark she must go to Woodstock the next day to handle Paul's funeral arrangements and her mother's house affairs; she declines his offer to accompany her.
The narrator discovers Izzy's laptop open to editing software and watches an interview Izzy recorded with Mavis.
Izzy reveals she has a girlfriend named Theo and that she loves her.
Mavis confesses that she was truly in love only once, with a woman named Bobbi, not with her late husband David.

Character Development

The Narrator: This chapter deepens the narrator's internal conflict. She lies to Mark about her shopping trip, suggesting she is hiding something significant from him. Her decision to watch Izzy's interview, despite knowing it violates her daughter's privacy, shows her desperation to understand her mother and her family's secrets. Her reaction to Izzy's confession—feeling a piece of her heart break—reveals her emotional distance from her daughter and her own unresolved feelings about love and honesty.

Mark: Mark emerges as a supportive and practical partner. He handles Mavis's care, arranges hospice, and offers to accompany the narrator to Woodstock. His willingness to take time off work and his playful demeanor contrast with the narrator's internal turmoil, highlighting the strain she feels under the weight of caregiving and secrets.

Izzy: Though not physically present, Izzy's character is illuminated through the interview. She is brave enough to confess her love for Theo to her grandmother, a confession she has not made to her own mother. Her choice to film the interviews suggests she is seeking connection and understanding, perhaps using the camera as a shield.

Mavis: Mavis's confession about Bobbi adds a new layer to her character. She is not merely a difficult, dying woman but someone who carried a hidden love for decades. Her gentle, accepting response to Izzy's revelation about Theo shows a capacity for empathy that the narrator has not witnessed.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Hidden Love and Family Secrets: The central revelation of the chapter is Mavis's confession that she loved a woman named Bobbi, not her husband David. This hidden love, kept secret for years, mirrors the narrator's own secrets and suggests a pattern of concealment within the family.

Mother-Daughter Relationships: The chapter explores the fraught dynamics between the narrator and Izzy, and between the narrator and Mavis. Izzy confides in Mavis in a way she cannot with her mother, while the narrator struggles to connect with her own mother, whom she suspects of past wrongdoing.

Filming as Confession: Izzy uses her camera to elicit truths from Mavis. The act of recording creates a space for honesty, allowing Izzy to ask questions and Mavis to reveal her past. The narrator's intrusion into this space highlights the theme of privacy invasion and the lengths people go to uncover secrets.

Christmas Symbolism: The chapter is set against a backdrop of Christmas preparations—gifts, a decorated tree, and Mark's beloved holiday movies. This festive setting contrasts with the darker revelations about Mavis's past and the narrator's inner turmoil, underscoring the tension between surface cheer and underlying unease.

Caregiving Burden: The narrator's responsibilities are mounting: arranging hospice, planning a funeral, managing her mother's affairs, and caring for her family. Her decision to go to Woodstock alone, despite Mark's offer, reflects her sense of isolation and the weight she carries.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Twenty-Five is pivotal for several reasons. It introduces the name Bobbi, a figure who will likely prove central to the novel's mysteries. Mavis's confession that she loved Bobbi, not her husband, complicates the narrator's understanding of her mother and her past. The chapter also deepens the narrator's character, showing her willingness to invade her daughter's privacy in pursuit of truth. The contrast between Mark's normalcy and the narrator's hidden turmoil heightens the tension, setting the stage for the narrator's trip to Woodstock, where she may uncover more secrets.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does the narrator lie to Mark about her shopping trip, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?

The narrator lies to Mark, saying the trip went well, when in fact something about it clearly disturbed her. This lie reveals her growing isolation and her unwillingness to share her true feelings with her husband. It suggests she is carrying a burden of secrets and suspicions that she cannot articulate, even to the person closest to her.

2. What does Mavis's confession about Bobbi reveal about her character and her marriage to David?

Mavis's confession reveals that she was capable of deep, passionate love, but that love was directed at a woman named Bobbi, not her husband. She describes her love for David as real but not the “deep and desperate love” of songs and poems. This suggests her marriage was one of companionship rather than passion and hints at a hidden life and unfulfilled desires that may have shaped her behavior and relationships.

3. How does the narrator's decision to watch Izzy's interview reflect the chapter's themes of privacy and truth?

The narrator knows that watching the interview violates Izzy's privacy, and she even acknowledges that Mark would disapprove. Yet she cannot stop herself. This decision reflects the theme of privacy invasion, as the narrator prioritizes her need for truth over her daughter's autonomy. It also mirrors the larger mystery of the novel: the narrator's desperate search for answers about her mother's past, even at the cost of her relationships.