Chapter 4 Summary: Ike and Buddy Lee's Search for Answers

⚠️ 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 Ike Randolph alone in his living room, still dressed down from the funeral, sipping rum on the rocks. The kitchen is cluttered with leftover food from the gathering—chicken, ham, mac and cheese, and even some vegetarian barbecue brought by Isiah and Derek's friends. Mya and Arianna are napping. Ike finishes his drink and decides not to pour another, because he wants to feel the pain fully; he believes he deserves it.

As he sits, Ike reflects on his estranged relationship with his son. He had always assumed time would eventually thaw the glacier between them, that they would come to an understanding. But time, he thinks, is like a river made of quicksilver—it slips away even as it surrounds you. He regrets not walking across that glacier himself, not sitting down with Isiah to explain how he felt, and he imagines a fantasy where they might have laughed together.

His phone vibrates. It's Detective LaPlata, one of the detectives working Isiah's case. LaPlata asks how Ike is holding up and mentions that they're struggling to get friends and associates of Isiah and Derek to talk. Ike points out that many people don't trust cops. LaPlata then reveals that Isiah had received a death threat earlier that year, something Ike didn't know. Ike admits he and Isiah weren't close, and when LaPlata asks to speak with Mya, Ike says it's not a good time. The detective presses, and Ike angrily asks if LaPlata knows what it's like to have a son shot in the head and then emptied a clip into. He hangs up.

Ike moves to the entertainment center, where dozens of framed photographs sit. He studies pictures of Isiah as a basketball player in high school, a preteen pinning Mya at her nursing school graduation, and a family photo from Isiah's college graduation—Mya standing between father and son like a demilitarized zone. He picks up the graduation picture and runs his fingers across the glass before putting it back.

He then walks to his shed, a meticulously organized space with tools and yard equipment arranged like an armory. In the corner hangs a heavy bag. Ike begins to work it, throwing punches with practiced technique. He recalls that Isiah had been a natural athlete, fluid and powerful on the bag, and that boxing was the only activity they shared after Ike was released from prison. Ike had hoped boxing would bridge the gap between them, but Isiah refused to fight, eventually telling his father, “I'm not like you. I don't like hurting people.” They never went into the shed together again.

Ike's thoughts turn to their last conversation, a few months before the murder. Isiah had come to tell his mother he and Derek were getting married. Mya hugged him, but Ike went to the kitchen for a drink. Isiah followed, and Ike voiced his disapproval, focusing on Arianna—their young daughter—and how she would face difficulties because of her parents' identities. Isiah responded sharply, pointing out that Ike had never congratulated him and that not everyone is disgusted by their children. The argument escalated, and Ike threw a glass against the wall. Isiah slammed the door on his way out.

Three months later, Isiah and Derek were shot multiple times outside a wine store in Richmond. The shooters double-tapped them after they fell—a sign of a professional hit. Ike wonders if the last image Isiah had of his father was that glass shattering. Overwhelmed, he begins to scream, a savage howl that erupts fully formed. He abandons technique and attacks the bag with animalistic fury, splitting his knuckles and leaving blood on the leather. Tears stream down his face, each drop feeling like a razorblade slicing his skin.

Key Events

Ike sits alone after the funeral, drinking rum and reflecting on his estrangement from Isiah.
Detective LaPlata calls to ask about Isiah and Derek's friends and associates, and reveals that Isiah had received a death threat earlier that year.
Ike ends the call abruptly after a heated exchange.
Ike studies family photographs, recalling happier moments and the distance that grew between him and his son.
He goes to his shed and works a heavy bag, remembering that Isiah refused to box because he didn't like hurting people.
Ike recalls the last argument with Isiah about his marriage to Derek and their daughter Arianna, which ended with Ike throwing a glass.
The chapter reveals that Isiah and Derek were shot multiple times and then double-tapped, indicating a professional hit.
Ike screams and attacks the bag until his knuckles bleed, tears mixing with sweat.

Character Development

This chapter is a deep dive into Ike Randolph's inner world. He is consumed by regret—not just for the estrangement, but for his own role in it. He acknowledges that he waited for time to heal a wound he never actively tried to mend. His grief is compounded by guilt: he wonders if his son's last memory of him was an angry, violent gesture.

Ike's homophobia is shown as a source of conflict, but also as something he is beginning to question. He admits to himself that he should have tried to understand Isiah's life, even if he couldn't fully accept it. His refusal to let go of his own discomfort cost him years with his son.

The chapter also reveals Ike's physicality and his use of violence as an emotional release. Boxing, which once connected him to Isiah, now becomes a way to channel his rage and sorrow. His breakdown at the end—screaming and punching until his hands bleed—shows a man stripped of pretense, raw and broken.

Mya and Arianna appear only briefly, but their presence underscores the weight of Ike's loss. Mya is the buffer between father and son, and Arianna is the innocent who will grow up without her fathers. Ike's tears are for all of them.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Regret and Estrangement: Ike's central conflict is his failure to bridge the gap with Isiah. The chapter explores how pride and fear can poison a relationship beyond repair.
Time as a River: Ike's metaphor of time as a quicksilver river emphasizes how quickly life passes and how easily opportunities for reconciliation slip away.
Boxing as Failed Connection: The heavy bag represents the one activity Ike and Isiah shared, but also the moment Isiah rejected his father's world. It becomes a symbol of their inability to truly connect.
Homophobia and Acceptance: Ike's struggle to accept his son's sexuality is laid bare. His argument with Isiah reveals his deep-seated discomfort, which he now regrets.
Violence as Release: Ike's physical assault on the bag mirrors his emotional turmoil. The violence is both a way to cope and a reminder of the violence that took his son.
Razorblade Tears: The final image of tears cutting like razorblades ties the title to Ike's grief—pain that is sharp, inescapable, and self-inflicted in part.
Professional Hit: The double-tap detail signals that the murder was not random, setting up the investigation and hinting at a larger conspiracy.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Four is pivotal because it transforms Ike from a grieving father into a man driven by guilt and a need for answers. The revelation of the death threat and the professional nature of the shooting raise the stakes, suggesting that Isiah and Derek's murder was premeditated and possibly connected to something bigger. Ike's emotional breakdown here lays the groundwork for his decision to take matters into his own hands later in the novel. It also humanizes him, showing the cost of his past choices and the depth of his love for his son, even if he never expressed it properly.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Ike refuse to get another drink after finishing his rum?

Ike decides not to pour another drink because he wants to feel the pain fully. He believes he deserves to suffer the grief and guilt, and numbing it with alcohol would be an escape from the consequences of his actions.

What does the heavy bag represent for Ike, and how does his interaction with it change?

The heavy bag represents the only activity that connected Ike and Isiah after Ike's release from prison. It was a place where they didn't need to talk. But Isiah's refusal to box—because he didn't like hurting people—ended that connection. In the present, Ike uses the bag to release his rage, but his technique breaks down into pure violence, showing that the connection is gone and only pain remains.

How does the detective's mention of a death threat affect Ike?

The death threat is new information to Ike, and it deepens his sense of failure—he didn't know his son well enough to be aware of such a threat. It also suggests that the murder may have been planned, which fuels Ike's anger and his determination to find the truth.