Chapter 20: December 25, 1993 – Lizzie
Spoiler Warning: This chapter summary and analysis contains explicit details of child sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Summary
Late on Christmas night 1993, ten-year-old Lizzie is visited in her bedroom by Mark, a young man who is dating her older sister Caoimhe. Lizzie trusts Mark completely, believing he can “fix” her when she is sick. Mark locks the door, shows her a new camera, and takes “special pictures” of her. He then tells Lizzie that she is gravely ill like her mother, claiming her hair will fall out and she might die if he does not treat her. Terrified, Lizzie agrees to do anything Mark says. He proposes a “special hug” that requires both of them to remove all their clothes. Lizzie undresses without hesitation. Mark exposes himself, explains his body part, and guides Lizzie to lie down with her legs open as he has taught her. He then begins to touch her intimately, calling her a good girl. Lizzie feels scared but believes this abuse is healing her.
Key Events
- Mark enters Lizzie’s room late on Christmas night and locks the door.
- He shows her a camera and takes photographs of her.
- Mark convinces Lizzie she is sick with the same illness that is making her mother lose her hair.
- He threatens that if she tells anyone, the sickness will worsen and she might die.
- Lizzie agrees to a “special hug” that involves removing all clothes.
- Mark undresses, and Lizzie sees his erect penis for the first time.
- He positions her on the bed and begins digitally penetrating her (implied by “walking his fingers up her thigh” and “secret tickle”).
- The abuse is framed as a necessary treatment to keep her alive.
Character Development
Lizzie – At age ten, Lizzie is trusting, naive, and desperate to please. She has been groomed over time to see Mark as a protector and healer. Her fear of getting sick like her mother makes her compliant. She has already learned to keep secrets for others, a vulnerability Mark exploits.
Mark – He is a calculating predator who uses Lizzie’s fear, her mother’s illness, and her desire to be “good” to manipulate her. He presents the abuse as altruistic, playing the role of a reluctant healer. His use of a camera indicates he is documenting the abuse.
Caoimhe – Though not present, her relationship with Mark is referenced: she brings him to the house and tries to exclude Lizzie, enabling Mark’s access to the child.
Mammy (Lizzie’s mother) – Her unspecified illness (hair loss suggests chemotherapy or alopecia) is weaponized by Mark to create terror in Lizzie.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Grooming via illness metaphor – Mark redefines health: he convinces Lizzie that her normal body is diseased and only his “treatment” can save her. This medicalized language gives him moral cover.
Secrecy as a cage – Lizzie’s pride in keeping secrets (Caoimhe’s relationship, Mark’s “superpower”) is used to silence her. The predator reinforces that talking spreads the sickness, making silence a survival instinct.
Christmas setting – The holy/innocent context contrasts starkly with the violation. The holiday normally associated with family and gifts becomes the night of her abuse.
The camera – Represents documentation, possession, and escalation. The act of photographing makes the abuse a performance for Mark’s later pleasure and a tool of blackmail.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the foundational trauma for Lizzie’s storyline. It explains her later struggles with trust, intimacy, and self-worth. The methodical, loving tone Mark uses (“munchkin”, “good girl”) shows how abuse can be hidden inside care. It also establishes the long-term damage of childhood sexual abuse—Lizzie will carry these memories and her learned silence into adolescence. The chapter reframes earlier interactions with other characters (like her fear of doctors or aversion to touch) as symptoms of this assault.
Study Questions
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How does Mark use Lizzie’s mother’s illness to manipulate her? What makes this lie especially cruel?
- Mark tells Lizzie she has the same sickness and will lose her hair and die unless he “fixes” her. The cruelty lies in exploiting a child’s fear of losing a parent and of being sick herself, turning the mother’s real suffering into a weapon.
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Why do you think Lizzie does not question that the “special hug” requires removing clothes? What does this reveal about the grooming process?
- Lizzie has already been conditioned to follow Mark’s instructions without question. Earlier grooming (perhaps not shown but implied) has established him as her only hope. Her trust overrides natural caution, showing how predators systematically destroy a child’s boundaries.
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How does the Christmas setting amplify the horror of this scene?
- Christmas is traditionally a time of safety, family, and gifts. Mark gives Lizzie fear and violation instead. The contrast emphasizes that abuse can happen anywhere, even under the guise of holiday togetherness.