Chapter 2: Joan Discovers She's a Monster

⚠️ 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

Chapter 2 opens with Joan doing a final mirror check in Gran's upstairs hallway, smoothing her hair and feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. She has a date with Nick, a boy she has been volunteering with at a museum all summer. She has had a crush on him the entire time, and he asked her out the day before, biting his lip nervously as if expecting rejection. They plan to have breakfast at a café on Kensington High Street and then visit the Victoria and Albert Museum together. Joan checks her phone and sees she has an hour to go.

From downstairs, she hears her cousins Ruth and Bertie bickering about forged paintings in the National Gallery. Their familiar, comforting noise draws her down. In the kitchen, Ruth is perched on a broken radiator, still in pajamas with a Transformers T-shirt, while Bertie cooks mushrooms and tomatoes. They immediately notice Joan's new dress and sleek hair and begin teasing her about the date. Ruth dramatically calls it the "ultimate nerd romance," imagining the two history geeks looking at medieval textiles together. Joan protests but can't stop smiling. The banter continues, with Ruth mocking Joan's love of community service and Joan stealing a piece of toast. Bertie and Ruth are fond of her, and the three share an easy, long-established closeness.

Gran's dry voice interrupts from the stairs, and Joan decides to leave before the whole family can pile on. She flees the kitchen, shouting goodbye, while Uncle Gus and Aunt Ada arrive and ask about the date. Ruth calls out that Joan has a date, and Bertie sings about her kissing her summer crush in front of medieval textiles. Joan laughs and shuts the door.

She walks through the warm summer morning, turning onto Earl's Court Road and then Kensington High Street. A message from Nick pops up: he's on the Tube and less than fifteen minutes away. Joan gets a cup of tea and sits by the window, feeling happy and nervous. As she goes to reply, the café door opens with a rush of air, followed by a thundering crash. A man has knocked over a table, scattering broken plates and glass. He looks bewildered and mumbles that he wants to buy flowers. A waiter groans, calling him a drunk and saying there hasn't been a florist there for years.

Joan recognizes the man as Mr. Solt, Gran's neighbor with dementia. She tells the waiter he isn't drunk. She remembers that last week Mr. Solt wandered into Gran's house in the same confused state, and his daughter Ellie arrived in tears, explaining that his dementia had worsened since his wife died. Joan approaches Mr. Solt, who is wearing soft slippers with bare feet, and tries to coax him away from the glass. She suggests calling Ellie to get him flowers and take him home. She guides him outside, noting that Nick will arrive in about ten minutes.

Outside, the day is sunny and cloudless. Joan looks for a bench but finds none, so she settles for a strip of wall between the café and the bank. She tells Mr. Solt they'll wait there for Ellie. He stares at her without expression, and Joan feels a strange unease, thinking something terrible is about to happen. Then Mr. Solt staggers, his hands shooting out to grab her shoulders. They begin to scuffle as he tries to regain his balance. Joan's legs shake under his weight, and she tries to laugh it off, reminding herself of a time she collapsed under a mattress and her dad laughed. But then her knees buckle. Mr. Solt frowns, awareness flickering in his eyes, and he shoves her away. Joan stumbles backward, flailing to grab him, and her back hits the wall with a painful thump. For a moment she sees only the blue sky.

Then there is a snap, and everything goes dark. Joan is disoriented, reaching out in the blackness. Flares of light roar past—a car. Her eyes adjust, and she realizes she is still standing in the same spot, but the café behind her is dark and empty, with a Closed sign in the window. Mr. Solt is gone. The sky, which had been blue, is now black, filled with stars and the moon. It is night.

Key Events

Joan prepares for her first date with Nick, checking her appearance and feeling nervous and excited.
She joins her cousins Ruth and Bertie in the kitchen, where they tease her about the date and her "nerd romance."
Gran, Uncle Gus, and Aunt Ada come downstairs, and Joan flees to avoid more teasing.
She walks to a café on Kensington High Street, orders tea, and receives a message from Nick saying he's on the Tube.
Mr. Solt, Gran's neighbor with dementia, stumbles into the café, knocking over a table and asking for a florist.
Joan recognizes him, tells the waiter he isn't drunk, and guides him outside, planning to call his daughter Ellie.
Mr. Solt staggers and grabs Joan's shoulders; they struggle briefly, and Joan's back hits a wall.
Everything goes dark, and when Joan's eyes adjust, she finds it is now night. The café is closed, Mr. Solt has vanished, and the sky is full of stars.

Character Development

Joan is shown to be kind and responsible. She immediately recognizes Mr. Solt's confusion and defends him to the waiter, insisting he isn't drunk. She takes the initiative to guide him away from the broken glass and offers to call his daughter, even though she is waiting for Nick. Her internal monologue reveals her nervousness about the date, but also her warmth toward her family. She enjoys the noise and clatter of Gran's house, contrasting it with her quieter life with her dad in Milton Keynes. Her relationship with Ruth and Bertie is affectionate and teasing, with Joan often playing the responsible older sister figure despite being younger than Ruth.

Mr. Solt is portrayed with sympathy. His dementia is evident in his confusion, his bare feet in slippers, and his repeated request for a florist. He appears childlike and vulnerable, hunched up and looking like he wants to cry. His sudden physical grab and shove are not malicious but a result of his disorientation, and the chapter ends with him vanishing, leaving Joan alone in the dark.

The chapter also hints at a hidden world beneath the ordinary. Joan's unease before the time shift, the "snap," and the sudden transition from day to night suggest that something supernatural is at play. Joan's disorientation and the emptiness of the street emphasize her isolation, setting the stage for the revelation of the monster world.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Family and Belonging: The chapter opens with Joan's family banter, showing the warmth and closeness of the Hunts. The teasing about her date is affectionate, and Joan's comfort in the noisy kitchen contrasts with the isolation she feels later.
Dementia and Memory Loss: Mr. Solt's dementia is a central element. His confusion, his search for a florist that no longer exists, and his inability to recognize his surroundings highlight the theme of memory and its fragility. His bare feet and slippers symbolize his vulnerability and disconnection from reality.
Reality Shift and Disorientation: The sudden transition from a sunny morning to a starry night is a clear supernatural event. Joan's disorientation—her inability to make sense of what she sees, the dark café, the empty street—mirrors Mr. Solt's own confusion, blurring the line between normal and monstrous.
Isolation and Emptiness: After the time shift, Joan is alone. The café is closed, Mr. Solt is gone, and the street is empty. This isolation underscores her vulnerability and sets up the revelation that she is entering a hidden world.
The Vanished Florist: The florist that Mr. Solt seeks is a symbol of loss and the past. It no longer exists, just as Mr. Solt's memories are fading. It also foreshadows the idea that things are not as they seem.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it introduces the supernatural element that drives the entire novel. The ordinary, relatable setup—a first date, family teasing, a kind act toward a confused elderly man—is abruptly shattered by the time shift from day to night. This transition is the first clear indication that Joan's world is not what it seems, and it sets up the central mystery of the monster world. The chapter also establishes Joan's character as compassionate and grounded, making her later discovery of her own monstrous heritage more impactful. The cliffhanger ending, with Joan alone in the dark, creates suspense and propels the reader into the next chapter.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Joan's interaction with Mr. Solt reveal her character, and what does it foreshadow?

Joan's interaction shows her kindness and sense of responsibility. She defends Mr. Solt to the waiter, guides him away from danger, and offers to call his daughter, even though she is waiting for Nick. This compassion is a key trait that will likely influence her actions later. The interaction also foreshadows the supernatural: Joan feels a strange unease before Mr. Solt grabs her, and the time shift occurs immediately after he shoves her. This suggests that Mr. Solt's confusion may be connected to the hidden monster world, or that Joan's own nature is about to be revealed.

2. What is the significance of the time shift from day to night?

The time shift is the chapter's central supernatural event. It abruptly removes Joan from her familiar, safe world and places her in a disorienting, empty night. The shift symbolizes a rupture in reality, suggesting that Joan has crossed into a hidden realm or that her perception of the world is fundamentally altered. It also isolates her, stripping away the comfort of her family and the anticipation of her date, and forces her to confront an unknown reality. This moment is the inciting incident that will lead Joan to discover the monster world.

3. How does the family banter at the beginning of the chapter contrast with the ending?

The family banter is warm, noisy, and full of affection. Joan is surrounded by people who know her and tease her lovingly. The ending is the opposite: Joan is alone in the dark, with no one around. This contrast emphasizes her sudden isolation and the shock of the supernatural event. It also highlights what Joan stands to lose—her ordinary life, her family, and her budding romance—as she is pulled into a world she doesn't understand.