Chapter 36 Summary and Analysis – Soneji's Domestic Strife and New Target
⚠️ 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
Around ten p.m., Soneji rolls off his wife Missy after a detached sexual encounter. She confronts him about his neglect of their daughter and his secretive behavior. He fantasizes about killing her but keeps his composure. Earlier that evening, he had contacted the Charles School about substitute teaching and was told of a possible long-term opening at the Washington Day School, an elite academy for wealthy families. Excited by the prospect of access to high-profile children, Soneji uses forged academic credentials and references to apply. When Missy demands a real wedding to fix their marriage, he deflects, but silently resolves to study a new kind of crime — kidnapping inspired by the Lindbergh baby case.
Key Events
- Soneji has unsatisfying sex with Missy, turning her over to avoid her disapproving face.
- Missy confronts him about ignoring their daughter Roni and his secretive office time.
- Soneji briefly fantasizes about killing Missy.
- Earlier, Soneji called the Charles School and learned about a substitute opening at the Washington Day School.
- He researches the school, imagining it full of Lindbergh-baby-level targets.
- Soneji submits a fraudulent application with fake degrees and references.
- Missy asks for a formal wedding, mentioning her mother’s willingness to fund it.
- Soneji promises to think it over, then mentally decides to study kidnapping.
Character Development
- Gary Soneji (Gary Murphy): The chapter deepens Soneji’s cold psychopathy. He feels no emotional connection to his wife or child, views people as obstacles or instruments, and calmly considers murder when annoyed. His domestic life is a facade that he maintains for cover. His shift from studying the Son of Sam copycat to planning a high-profile kidnapping shows his escalating ambition and adaptability.
- Missy Soneji: Missy is revealed as unhappy and desperate for a genuine marriage. She cries easily, brings up their shotgun wedding, and proposes a renewal ceremony. She is unaware of her husband’s true nature, seeing only neglect and secrecy.
- Jenny Wolcott (headmistress): A minor but functional character who provides the lead that sets Soneji on his new criminal path.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Deception and double life: Soneji’s entire existence is a performance — a suburban husband and father by day, a serial killer and aspiring kidnapper by night. The forged documents and fake resume symbolize his ability to infiltrate trusted institutions.
- Domestic violence and control: The chapter normalizes Soneji’s casual homicidal fantasies toward Missy, highlighting the threat that intimate partners face from hidden predators.
- The Lindbergh baby allusion: Soneji’s excitement about the Washington Day School (“Lindbergh-baby territory”) signals his intention to commit a notorious kidnapping, linking his crimes to historical sensationalism.
- Marriage as transaction: The argument over a “real” wedding underscores that their union is contractual, not emotional. Missy seeks a public ritual to fix a private emptiness; Soneji sees it as a trap to be avoided.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter serves as a crucial pivot in the plot. Up to now, Soneji has been mimicking earlier serial killers. Here, he consciously decides to invent his own high-stakes crime (kidnapping) and selects a specific target pool — the children of the elite. It also humanizes his home life without excusing him, showing the strain his double life places on his wife and the danger she unknowingly faces. The fraudulent job application sets up the next phase of the story: his infiltration of the Washington Day School.
Study Questions
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Why does Soneji decide to pursue a position at the Washington Day School despite the risk?
Answer: He is drawn by the prospect of access to the children of wealthy, powerful families — whom he compares to the Lindbergh baby. He believes the potential reward (a high-profile kidnapping) justifies the risk of exposure, and his forged credentials make the attempt feasible. -
What does the argument about a “real wedding” reveal about Missy’s and Soneji’s marriage?
Answer: It reveals that Missy is unhappy and trying to salvage a hollow relationship through a public ceremony. Soneji sees the wedding as a threat to his anonymity and control. The argument underscores that their marriage is a sham built on secrecy and manipulation. -
How does Soneji’s homicidal fantasy toward Missy connect to his professional criminal interests?
Answer: Soneji’s fleeting desire to kill Missy shows that his domestic life is just another arena for his violence. It reinforces his lack of empathy and his willingness to eliminate anyone who becomes an obstacle. This mindset directly feeds into his planning of a kidnapping, which requires coldly calculating the value and vulnerability of human lives.