Izzy in My Darling Girl: The Filmmaker Who Becomes the Demon's New Host
Overview
Izzy O'Conner is the teenage daughter of Alison and Mark O'Conner and the older sister of Olivia. A budding filmmaker who documents her family through video, Izzy begins the novel as a perceptive and somewhat rebellious teenager who distrusts her grandmother's sudden arrival. Over the course of the story, her documentary project transforms from a creative outlet into the instrument of the demon Azha's escape, as Izzy ultimately retrieves the bound stone from the well and unbinds the entity, becoming its new host. Her arc is the novel's most devastating reversal: the daughter who seems most attuned to the truth becomes the one who completes the demon's plan. For a full overview of the novel, see the My Darling Girl study guide.
Plot Role
Izzy serves as both witness and catalyst in the novel's supernatural plot. From the moment her grandmother Mavis arrives, Izzy is the family member most attuned to the deception. In Chapter Four, she is the one who asks what her mother is not telling them, and in Chapter Eleven she tells Alison that their grandmother seems fake and is trying too hard. This perceptiveness makes her both Alison's natural ally and, ultimately, the demon's chosen vessel.
Izzy's documentary project, announced in Chapter Fourteen, gives her unprecedented access to her grandmother. She interviews Mavis, records family events, and captures the rat incident in Chapter Seventeen, where she films Mark killing the rat with a cast-iron Santa decoration. Her footage becomes a narrative thread throughout the novel, culminating in the director's cut she shows Alison in the final chapter, which reveals that Izzy followed her mother to Woodstock and retrieved the stone from the well.
Motivations and Traits
Izzy's primary motivation is creative and personal autonomy. She pursues filmmaking with dedication, and her documentary project is both an artistic ambition and a way of asserting control over her family's story. Her decision to interview her grandmother reflects a genuine curiosity about family history, but it also positions her to receive the demon's confidences.
Her perceptiveness is her defining trait. She reads her mother's unease in Chapter Four, questions the family narrative, and notices inconsistencies that others miss. This intelligence makes her a valuable ally when Alison confides in her about Azha in Chapter Thirty-Five, but it also makes her vulnerable to the demon's manipulation.
Izzy is also characterized by her independence. She has her own girlfriend, Theo, from film club, and she participates in the Krampus parade in Chapter Twenty-Seven, dressing in black with a horned mask. This willingness to embrace the dark and unconventional foreshadows her eventual role as the demon's host.
Chronological Arc
Izzy's arc moves from skeptical observer to unwitting instrument of the demon's plan. In the early chapters, she is suspicious of her grandmother's arrival and questions her mother's evasions. Her documentary project, begun in Chapter Fourteen, initially seems like a harmless creative endeavor, but it becomes the conduit through which the demon gains access to her.
In Chapter Thirty-Five, Alison confides in Izzy about Azha, and Izzy agrees to help watch Olivia and gather clues. This alliance positions Izzy as Alison's ally, but it also gives her access to information about the demon's nature and the binding spell. When Alison performs the binding ritual at the well in Chapter Forty, Izzy is watching, having followed her mother with Theo's help.
The climax of Izzy's arc occurs in Chapter Forty-Two, when she climbs down into the well, retrieves the stone, and speaks an unbinding spell she learned from the internet. She reveals that her grandmother told her what needed to be done, and the demon speaks through her, saying she chose Izzy when she was an infant. In the aftermath, Izzy appears to return to normal, telling her mother she needs help and dismissing the stone as just a pretty rock Grandma gave her. For a detailed breakdown of the novel's conclusion, see the ending explained page.
The final chapter shows Izzy's documentary, titled Mavis, winning the New England Young Filmmakers Award and earning her a scholarship to UCLA's film school. She shows Alison the director's cut with the real ending, revealing the full extent of her actions.
Relationships
Izzy's relationship with her mother is the novel's central dynamic. Alison sees herself in Izzy, and their mind-reading game from childhood suggests a deep connection. However, Izzy's perceptiveness makes her a challenging daughter, and her eventual betrayal of Alison's trust is the novel's most devastating turn.
Her relationship with her grandmother is more complex. Izzy interviews Mavis and receives the demon's confidences, including the revelation about Bobbi. The demon chooses Izzy as its next host, suggesting that it recognized something in her from the beginning. This dynamic connects to the novel's exploration of the re-emergence of childhood trauma during caregiving, as the grandmother's presence reopens old wounds for the entire family.
Izzy's relationship with Theo is a source of support and complicity. Theo drives Izzy to Woodstock and helps her follow Alison, and the two share a bond that Izzy's mother initially misreads as homophobia.
Her relationship with her sister Olivia is protective but ultimately secondary to her own arc. Izzy agrees to help watch Olivia, but the demon's plan was always aimed at Izzy herself.
Key Decisions and Consequences
Izzy's decision to start the documentary project in Chapter Fourteen is the novel's turning point. It gives her access to her grandmother and positions her to receive the demon's influence. Her decision to interview Mavis, rather than simply filming family events, deepens this connection.
Her decision to agree to help Alison in Chapter Thirty-Five is more ambiguous. She promises to keep filming and watch for clues, but her loyalty is ultimately to the demon, not her mother. When she follows Alison to Woodstock and retrieves the stone, she completes the demon's plan.
Her decision to unbind the demon is the novel's climax. She speaks the unbinding spell, unwraps the stone, and tucks it inside her coat, becoming the demon's new host. The consequences are devastating: Alison is institutionalized at Rabbit Hill for six weeks, and Izzy's documentary wins awards while concealing the truth. This turn connects to the theme of the fear of repeating the cycle of abuse, as Izzy's possession echoes the pattern of her grandmother's abuse.
Theme and Symbol Connections
Izzy embodies the novel's exploration of the role of art and creativity as both refuge and mirror of inner turmoil. Her filmmaking is both a creative outlet and a means of documenting the family's unraveling. The documentary becomes a mirror of the demon's influence, and the director's cut reveals the truth that the public version conceals.
Her arc also connects to the conflict between rational and supernatural explanations. Izzy initially dismisses her mother's demon theory, but her willingness to believe in the possibility of dark forces opens the door to the supernatural. Her eventual embrace of the demon suggests that the rational and supernatural are not always opposed.
The theme of the unreliability of memory and the construction of family narratives is central to Izzy's role. Her documentary constructs a narrative of the family that is both true and false, and the director's cut reveals the gap between the public story and the private truth.
Questions and Answers
1. Why does Izzy start the documentary project?
Izzy announces in Chapter Fourteen that she is starting a video diary project she plans to edit into a documentary about the family and her grandmother's visit. She has already asked her grandmother, who agreed to be interviewed and tell the story of her life. The project reflects her ambition as a filmmaker and her curiosity about family history.
2. How does Izzy's documentary change over the course of the novel?
Izzy's documentary begins as a family video diary but becomes something darker. She films the rat incident, interviews her grandmother, and eventually captures footage of her mother's binding ritual. The director's cut she shows Alison in the final chapter reveals that she followed her mother to Woodstock and retrieved the stone from the well.
3. Why does the demon choose Izzy as its next host?
The demon speaks through Izzy in Chapter Forty-Two, saying she chose Izzy the day she met her, back when Izzy was just an infant, and knew what they could become together. This suggests the demon recognized Izzy's potential from infancy, though the novel leaves the specific reasons ambiguous.
4. What role does Theo play in Izzy's arc?
Theo is Izzy's girlfriend from film club. She drives Izzy to Woodstock and helps her follow Alison to the well. Theo's presence in the car that morning is noted in Chapter Forty-Two, when Izzy reveals that Theo drove and that they followed Alison all the way to Woodstock.
5. What happens to Izzy after the novel's climax?
In the final chapter, Izzy's documentary Mavis wins the New England Young Filmmakers Award, earning her a $10,000 scholarship to UCLA's film school. She remains distant from Alison, who has returned from a six-week stay at Rabbit Hill, and she shows Alison the director's cut that reveals the truth about the stone. For more discussion of the novel's events, see the questions and answers page.