Chapter 17 Summary: An Unanswered Question Hangs Over Eva and Shane
⚠️ 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 at 9:00 a.m. with Eva still in bed, watching The Exorcist on her phone as a comfort movie. She's struck by the scene where a mother insists her daughter is possessed while a priest dismisses it as depression—an example, in Eva's mind, of women telling the truth and not being believed. She thinks of her grandmother's saying that it's the devil himself, not depression.
Eva reflects on the previous day. After leaving the Dream House, she walked home, relieved the babysitter, ordered pizza, and ate dinner in silence with Audre before both retreated to their rooms. She's mortified by her reckless behavior with Shane and has already searched the internet for any photos of them together. As a precaution, she books an appointment with a Google-search cleanup agency.
Before Audre wakes, Eva leaves a note saying she loves her and wants to talk. She then plans to text Shane to apologize, but panics when he texts that he's coming over. She rushes to the kitchen, where she finds Audre sitting on the floor working on her abstract portrait of Lizette, surrounded by feathers, paints, and sequins. Audre has the day off from school—it's the second-to-last day, when teachers finish report cards.
The two begin a difficult conversation. Audre asks if Eva is sorry she had her, if she makes her life harder. Eva admits she did call Audre a burden, but insists she loves their life together. To bridge the gap, Eva shares a painful piece of her past: her grades dropped so dramatically in high school that Princeton rescinded her offer, and she had to write an essay from a hospital bed—a psych ward, though she doesn't say that—begging to be let back in.
Audre then reveals she saw photos of Eva and Shane together on what looked like a date. Eva denies it, explaining she asked Shane for help—specifically, to replace Mr. Galbraith as the English teacher, a favor that convinced Mrs. O'Brien to let Audre stay. Audre, however, has done her own research on Cursed Twitter and found more fan photos of them looking affectionate around the West Village. She concludes that Eva seduced Shane to keep her in school, and breaks down sobbing, saying she'll never forgive herself.
Before Eva can respond, the buzzer rings. She'd forgotten—Shane is on his way, and he's now at the door.
Key Events
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Eva watches The Exorcist and reflects on the previous day's events with Shane.
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She books a Google-search cleanup appointment out of fear of being exposed.
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Eva leaves Audre a note and plans to text Shane an apology.
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Shane texts that he's coming over, sending Eva into a panic.
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Eva finds Audre working on her portrait of Lizette; they begin a tense conversation.
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Audre asks if she's a burden; Eva admits the comment was true but says she loves their life.
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Eva reveals her Princeton essay was written from a hospital bed after her grades collapsed.
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Audre reveals she saw photos of Eva and Shane on a date.
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Audre concludes Eva seduced Shane to keep her in school and breaks down.
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The buzzer rings—Shane has arrived.
Character Development
Eva shows a rare willingness to be vulnerable with her daughter. She admits the burden comment was true, shares the painful story of her Princeton essay, and tries to explain her relationship with Shane without lying outright. Her internal struggle is also on display: she wants to apologize to Shane, but she also wants to indulge in the memory of their time together. Her realization that Shane is inevitable—that he's not something to outgrow—marks a shift in how she sees their connection.
Audre reveals both her sharp observational skills and her deep insecurity. She's noticed her mother's behavior, done her own research, and drawn a dramatic conclusion. Her breakdown shows how much she loves her mother and how guilty she feels for what she believes Eva sacrificed. She's also growing up—she's perceptive, protective, and desperate to understand her mother's hidden past.
Shane doesn't appear in person until the final moment, but his presence looms over the entire chapter. His text message sets the plot in motion, and his arrival at the door promises a confrontation that will force Eva to face the consequences of her actions.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Women's truth dismissed: The Exorcist scene Eva watches is a direct parallel to her own life. A mother's truth is dismissed as hysteria, just as Eva's pain and illness have been dismissed throughout her life. This theme connects to her fear of being exposed and her instinct to hide her true self.
Mental illness vs. demonization: Eva's reflection on the movie—and her grandmother's belief that depression is the devil—highlights the tension between medical and spiritual explanations for suffering. Eva's own experience with chronic pain and mental health struggles is never fully explained, but the chapter suggests she's lived with both.
Feeling like a burden: Audre's question—whether she makes Eva's life harder—cuts to the heart of their relationship. Eva's honest answer, that it's true but that she loves their life, is a nuanced acknowledgment of the sacrifices of motherhood.
Running away vs. empowerment: Eva's reflection on leaving the Dream House—that running away wasn't empowering, that an empowered woman would have indulged—shows her grappling with her own patterns of self-protection.
The inevitability of rekindled love: Eva's epiphany that Shane is inevitable, that he's always fit, suggests that their connection is not a phase but a constant. This theme sets up the romantic tension that will drive the rest of the novel.
The portrait of Lizette: Audre's abstract portrait of her grandmother is a symbol of the family's hidden history. It's a work in progress, just as the mother-daughter relationship is being rebuilt.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point for the mother-daughter relationship. Eva and Audre finally begin to talk honestly, and Eva shares a piece of her past she's kept hidden. The chapter also raises the stakes for Eva's romance with Shane: Audre's misunderstanding—that Eva seduced Shane to keep her in school—creates dramatic irony, since the reader knows Eva's feelings are genuine. Shane's arrival at the door promises a confrontation that will force Eva to choose between protecting her secret and embracing the truth.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Eva watch The Exorcist as a comfort movie, and what does it reveal about her?
Eva watches the movie because it's familiar and calming, but it also resonates with her experience. The scene where a mother's truth is dismissed by a priest mirrors Eva's own feeling that women's pain is often not believed. It reveals her deep-seated fear of not being taken seriously, and it connects to her habit of hiding her true self.
2. What does Audre's misunderstanding about Eva and Shane reveal about her character?
Audre's conclusion that Eva seduced Shane to keep her in school shows how much she loves her mother and how guilty she feels about being a burden. It also reveals her perceptiveness—she noticed the photos and did her own research—but also her tendency to jump to dramatic conclusions. Her breakdown shows that she's more insecure than she lets on.
3. How does Eva's admission about the burden comment change the dynamic between her and Audre?
Eva's honesty—admitting the comment was true but that she loves their life—is a rare moment of vulnerability. It doesn't erase the hurt, but it opens the door for real conversation. Audre's response, asking about the Princeton essay, shows that she's willing to listen and understand her mother's past. The chapter ends with the relationship in a fragile but hopeful place.
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