Chapter 25: Reiki — Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ 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

Friend Dave drives Will (Billy) to Kirkhull Estates, an abandoned, unfinished housing development that locals call a “zombie subdivision.” The streets are lined with half-built houses, concrete foundations, and overgrown weeds. Experanza has arranged to occupy a nearly finished model home at the end of a cul-de-sac. When they arrive, she greets Billy warmly, and they perform a ritual of hooking pinkies and kissing each other's little fingers. Friend Dave is amused by this display.

Inside, Billy asks about Experanza's mother, Jude. Experanza explains that her mother has dementia and is in a care home in Boca, where she keeps trying to escape. Experanza speaks harshly about her mother's condition, calling her “not really human anymore.” Billy reflects on his own relief that he has no child who could legally imprison him in a similar facility.

They descend into a basement converted into a comfortable lounge with candles, LED lights, and a wet bar. Billy hands over the contaminated phones he recorded, and Experanza says she'll send them to Tim Ribbons for analysis. She then criticizes his decision to donate sperm, pointing out that he is likely now in the National DNA Database, which makes everyone around him vulnerable. Billy admits he wishes he had a time machine to undo it. He does not tell her about the 167 diblings—a detail he deliberately withholds, sensing that some information should stay hidden from Experanza and Value Standard Enterprises.

Experanza proposes a Reiki healing session. Billy, despite his skepticism, agrees and undresses completely. During the session, Experanza senses a possible early stage of prostate cancer, though she isn't certain. Billy drifts into a deep, dreamlike state. In this vision, Cammie appears and tells him that there will be an accident at the CDC, unleashing a virus that will kill between four and six billion people. She insists that both she and Billy are immune. Billy tries to dismiss it as a movie plot, but Cammie insists the apocalypse is real.

Billy remains unconscious for about twenty hours. When he finally wakes, Experanza is there, wearing a Tweety Bird T-shirt. She tells him that Tim Ribbons wants to talk to him and that he has a line on his problem. She warns Billy that the girl—Cammie—will get him killed if he isn't “swift and ruthless.” Billy acknowledges the warning but remains conflicted.

Key Events

Friend Dave drives Billy to the abandoned Kirkhull Estates, where Experanza lives in a model home.
Billy and Experanza exchange greetings and discuss her mother's dementia.
Billy gives Experanza the contaminated phones; she plans to send them to Tim Ribbons.
Experanza criticizes Billy's sperm donation and notes his likely presence in the National DNA Database.
Billy withholds the information about the 167 diblings from Experanza.
Experanza performs Reiki on Billy, sensing possible prostate cancer.
Billy falls into a vision where Cammie warns of a future CDC virus that will kill billions, and that they are immune.
Billy wakes after roughly twenty hours.
Experanza relays Tim Ribbons's request to talk and warns Billy to be ruthless with Cammie.

Character Development

Billy (Will) is increasingly torn between his loyalty to old friends like Experanza and his growing connection to Cammie. He keeps secrets even from those he trusts, as shown by his decision not to mention the diblings. His past with Experanza—including a teenage sexual encounter that left him questioning his sexuality—reveals his long-standing uncertainty about identity. His drug use, which he defends as a way to stay “on an even keel,” contrasts with Experanza's more cautious, middle-aged perspective. The vision from Cammie deepens his sense of being caught between a mundane life and an apocalyptic future.

Experanza has changed from the adventurous, trouble-loving girl Billy once knew into a more hardened, pragmatic woman. Her years in middle management have worn away her humor, and she now speaks bluntly about her mother's decline. She is protective of Billy, but also realistic about the dangers he faces. Her warning to be ruthless shows that she prioritizes survival over sentimentality.

Cammie appears only in Billy's vision, but her message is pivotal. She claims to know his DNA, insists he is immune to the coming virus, and frames the apocalypse as inevitable. Her role as a prophetic figure adds a supernatural or speculative layer to the narrative.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Secrets and omissions: Billy deliberately hides the diblings information from Experanza, illustrating the theme of selective disclosure and the danger of incomplete knowledge.
Surveillance: The National DNA Database represents the loss of privacy and the vulnerability of being tracked, a recurring concern in the novel.
Identity and sexuality: The flashback to Billy's teenage encounter with Experanza highlights his confusion about his own sexuality and his sense of being “nothing” at that age.
Apocalyptic vision: Cammie's warning about a CDC virus introduces a speculative element, suggesting that the story's stakes extend beyond personal survival to global catastrophe.
Drug use: Billy's reliance on substances—pot, speed, acid—is both a coping mechanism and a source of concern for Experanza, reflecting the theme of escape and altered perception.
Dementia and aging: Experanza's mother's condition serves as a stark reminder of mortality and the loss of self, contrasting with Billy's own fears about his future.
Zombie subdivision: The abandoned housing development symbolizes decay, unfinished lives, and the failure of the American dream—a fitting backdrop for a chapter about hidden threats and uncertain futures.
Reiki: The pseudo-medical practice blurs the line between genuine insight and hallucination, as Experanza's “diagnosis” of prostate cancer is later contradicted by Cammie's claim of immunity.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the novel. It introduces the apocalyptic threat that will likely drive the plot forward, as Cammie's vision of a CDC virus and her assertion of immunity raise the stakes for Billy. It also deepens the relationship between Billy and Experanza, showing both their shared history and the secrets that now separate them. The chapter sets up a direct confrontation with Tim Ribbons, who may hold answers to Billy's problems, while also reinforcing the theme of surveillance and the consequences of past actions. Finally, the chapter's blend of mundane details (the zombie subdivision, the Reiki session) with speculative elements (the vision) exemplifies the novel's genre-blending style.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Billy choose not to tell Experanza about the 167 diblings?

Billy withholds this information because he instinctively feels that some details should remain hidden from Experanza and Value Standard Enterprises. He worries that revealing the full extent of his sperm donation could make things worse, especially given Experanza's already critical reaction to his involvement with the DNA database. This decision highlights his growing distrust and his need to protect himself and possibly Cammie.

How does the Reiki session blur the line between reality and hallucination?

The Reiki session is presented as a pseudo-medical practice, yet it triggers a vivid vision in which Cammie delivers a prophetic warning. Experanza's claim that Billy might have prostate cancer is later contradicted by Cammie's assertion that he is immune, suggesting that the vision may be more reliable than the physical diagnosis. The chapter leaves it ambiguous whether the vision is a drug-induced dream, a genuine psychic experience, or a glimpse of an alternate future.

What does the zombie subdivision symbolize in this chapter?

The abandoned housing development represents decay, unfinished potential, and the collapse of conventional aspirations. It mirrors Billy's own life—full of abandoned plans and unresolved pasts—and sets a tone of desolation that contrasts with the intimate, candlelit basement where the Reiki session occurs. The setting also underscores the theme of hidden threats, as the empty houses conceal both feral animals and the secrets Billy carries.

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