Chapter 12 Summary, Themes, 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

Sariyah arrives home to find Jojo sprawled on the living room floor playing video games, with an empty orange juice carton and crushed Oreos left behind. She starts cleaning and asks where their mother is. Jojo says she's in her room. Sariyah lets herself in and finds the bedroom cluttered, her mother in bed with makeup smudged and a headscarf barely hanging on. Mama says she's tired, has called in from work, and asks Sariyah to entertain Jojo and let her sleep. Sariyah notices NyQuil and Kleenex on the end table and asks if she's sick, but Mama insists she just needs to be alone for a while.

Sariyah leaves, wishing her ability worked on the people she cares about most. Jojo asks her to play Mario Kart, but she refuses. He complains about being hungry, his leg hurting, and needing help with an extra-credit project. Sariyah tells him to go outside for an hour and she'll fix him something to eat. When he asks for pizza, she asks if he has pizza money, and realizes she sounds like their mother.

While cleaning, Sariyah considers returning to Philly's to peek in a basement window and confirm the dog, but decides against it. She spends the day in her bedroom googling the Irvine family and boosting social media posts about Deja. She adopts Malcolm's motto of never reading the comments, but breaks it because she worries someone might have seen Deja.

When Jojo returns, Sariyah makes sure he takes his medicine and scrambles eggs for them. Her phone rings—it's Dad on FaceTime. Jojo grabs the phone and angles the camera at his toes. Dad jokes about summer plans and the farm, calling Sariyah and Jojo his farmhands. Sariyah thinks about how the farm is the quietest place on Earth for her, the only time she can go days without hearing a need.

Dad asks to talk to Sariyah alone, but she says it's okay because Jojo has been wanting to FaceTime. She doesn't want to talk about Deja with Dad because speaking about it out loud would make it real, and she wants their calls to be a bubble without stabbed men or missing girls.

Dad asks if Malcolm is coming down for the summer. Sariyah mentions she's been thinking about becoming a contractor. Dad says he can see her in a hard hat and asks what Mom thinks. Sariyah explains her mother wants her to enroll in community college, but Sariyah doesn't think that's for her. Dad asks about her grades and mentions Izzy the Intuition. Sariyah says it's hard to stay focused. Dad suggests trade school as an option with little debt and good job security, and offers to talk to her mother. Sariyah tells him Mama isn't feeling well and took the night off.

Dad mentions Fitzgerald Davis is back in town, taking a break from college. Sariyah grins—Fitz is her seasonal friend, someone she only communicates with around Christmastime. Dad warns Fitz is too old for her, but Sariyah says he's only a year and a half older and they're just friends. Fitz's sister Ella was Sariyah's first crush. Dad mentions Fitz is fixing to propose to his high school sweetheart Crystelle, though Sariyah recalls stories about Crystelle cheating on him at prom.

Jojo casually asks Dad if he knows Deja is missing. Dad says yes—Mama told him first, then Sariyah. Jojo notes that Deja hasn't made the news in Chefly yet, and Sariyah frowns, understanding the media inequality—the people talking about Deja in their neighborhood won't have the same reach as those who talked about Casey. Dad tells Jojo to keep talking until they find her, and asks Sariyah to email him the information and flyer so he can spread word in Chefly. Sariyah thinks about how Chefly is a small, close-knit, mostly Black town where people gather behind things like this, and considers upgrading Fitz from seasonal friend to full-timer.

Key Events

Sariyah returns to a messy house and finds Mama in bed, having called in from work
Mama asks Sariyah to entertain Jojo and leave her alone to sleep
Sariyah considers checking Philly's basement window but doesn't
She spends the day researching Deja's case online and boosting social media posts
Sariyah makes eggs for Jojo and ensures he takes his medicine
Dad calls on FaceTime; Sariyah reveals her interest in becoming a contractor
Dad suggests trade school and offers to talk to Mama about it
Dad mentions Fitzgerald Davis is back in town
Jojo brings up Deja's disappearance; Dad commits to spreading word in Chefly

Character Development

Sariyah carries the caregiver role in this chapter, managing the household, feeding Jojo, and monitoring his medicine while Mama rests. Her frustration with Jojo is tempered by guilt, and she catches herself sounding like her mother when she asks about pizza money. Her avoidance of talking about Deja with Dad reveals a coping mechanism: keeping the tragedy contained to Atlanta so Chefly can remain a refuge. Her interest in becoming a contractor marks a step toward defining her own future, even as she struggles to articulate it to her parents.

Mama is shown in a vulnerable state, exhausted and withdrawn. Her request to be alone and her insistence that she'll be good as new echo patterns of denial that Sariyah recognizes but cannot break through. The chapter hints at deeper mental health struggles beneath the surface.

Dad emerges as a supportive presence, offering to advocate for Sariyah's trade school idea with Mama and committing to spread word about Deja in Chefly. His awareness of media inequality—that Deja's case won't reach the same audiences as Casey's—shows his understanding of how race and community shape visibility.

Jojo remains innocent and direct, casually bringing up Deja's disappearance in a way that cuts through Sariyah's avoidance. His insistence that everybody's talking about Deja contrasts with the reality of media coverage.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Caregiver burden: Sariyah's role as de facto caretaker is on full display—cleaning, cooking, managing medicine, and entertaining Jojo while Mama withdraws. The chapter shows how this burden shapes her daily life and emotional state.

Avoidance and denial: Sariyah's reluctance to discuss Deja with Dad is a central tension. She wants their calls to remain a magical bubble free of the violence and loss that define her Atlanta life. This avoidance is a survival mechanism, but it also isolates her.

Intuition limitations: Sariyah wishes her ability worked on the people she loves most, but it doesn't. This limitation underscores her helplessness in the face of Mama's exhaustion and Deja's disappearance.

Media inequality: The chapter draws a sharp contrast between the attention Casey's case received and the lack of coverage for Deja. Dad's comment that Deja hasn't made the news in Chefly yet, and Sariyah's resigned of course it hasn't, highlight how race and community affect whose disappearances get attention.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 12 deepens the portrait of Sariyah's home life and the emotional weight she carries. It reveals the strain on her mother, the caregiving responsibilities Sariyah has absorbed, and her coping mechanisms of avoidance and online activism. The chapter also expands the novel's commentary on media inequality, contrasting the coverage of Casey's case with the relative silence around Deja's. Sariyah's conversation with Dad about trade school introduces a new dimension to her character—her aspirations beyond high school—while the mention of Fitz sets up potential connections in Chefly that may matter later. The chapter ends with Sariyah considering upgrading Fitz from seasonal friend to full-timer, suggesting she may need more support networks as the search for Deja continues.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Sariyah avoid talking about Deja with her father, and what does this reveal about her coping mechanisms?

Sariyah avoids the topic because speaking about Deja's disappearance out loud, with Dad, would make it real in Chefly—the place she considers a refuge. She wants their calls to remain a bubble free of the violence and loss that define her Atlanta life. This reveals her tendency to compartmentalize trauma, keeping it contained to one world so another can stay clean.

2. How does the chapter address media inequality in the coverage of missing persons cases?

The chapter contrasts the attention Casey's case received with the lack of coverage for Deja. Dad notes Deja hasn't made the news in Chefly yet, and Sariyah's resigned response shows she expected this. Jojo's insistence that everybody's talking about Deja in their neighborhood highlights the gap between community awareness and mainstream media attention, suggesting that race and community shape whose disappearances get national coverage.

3. What does Sariyah's interest in becoming a contractor reveal about her relationship with her mother's expectations?

Sariyah's interest in trade school represents a departure from her mother's plan for community college and a four-year university. By telling Dad first, she's testing the idea with the parent she thinks might be more receptive. Dad's willingness to advocate for her with Mama shows Sariyah seeking an ally in shaping her own future, even as she struggles with focus and the weight of recent events.