Chapter 22 “Power Outage”: Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways
⚠️ 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
While driving through the fracking regions south of Akron, Ohio, the narrator receives a phone call from Cammie, a young woman who claims to be his daughter. She tells him that his sperm bank donations have produced at least 167 children worldwide, most of them in the United States, with others scattered across western Europe, India, China, and Saudi Arabia. These children, she says, were all adopted by wealthy families, and she believes a cabal of powerful people is secretly collecting them for unknown purposes. She adds that her own adoptive father is the lawyer for Brayden Kurch, a famous entrepreneur, and that Kurch has two of the narrator's daughters from his first marriage.
The narrator is deeply skeptical. He tries to respond warmly but noncommittally, suggesting that Cammie might be experiencing paranoid delusions. He invokes Occam's razor, arguing that the simplest explanation is that she is mentally unstable. Cammie hangs up in frustration.
A moment later, she calls back. She tells him about a son named Ronnie, who first informed her about the siblings. Ronnie, she explains, was born from the same batch of embryos as she was—created from the narrator's sperm and Rosalie Signorelli's eggs—and is only three weeks older than her. He attended a Swiss boarding school, sent her inappropriate photos, and then dropped off the grid about two years ago. She wonders if he might be dead.
As she speaks, her voice abruptly cuts off. The radio goes silent, and the narrator's phone dies. A massive power outage sweeps across the city, extinguishing streetlights and houses in a wave of darkness. The narrator's camper, the Guiding Star, loses power, the steering wheel locks, and the vehicle scrapes along the cement wall of the highway bridge before coming to a stop. The windshield wipers make a final halfhearted swipe and then stop.
Key Events
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Cammie calls the narrator and claims to be his daughter.
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She reveals the existence of 167 “diblings” (donor siblings) from his sperm donations.
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She describes a conspiracy of wealthy adopters collecting the children for unknown purposes.
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She mentions that Brayden Kurch has two of the narrator's daughters.
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The narrator dismisses her as delusional, citing Occam's razor.
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Cammie hangs up, then calls back to introduce Ronnie.
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She explains Ronnie's background, his inappropriate behavior, and his disappearance two years ago.
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A sudden power outage cuts off the call and disables the narrator's camper on a bridge.
Character Development
The narrator's reaction to Cammie's claims reveals a man who is both wary and emotionally guarded. He immediately compares her storytelling to the con games his mother used to play, noting how she would draw people in with outrageous claims and then add homely details to make them seem real. This comparison suggests a deep-seated distrust of others and a familiarity with deception. Yet he also feels a twinge of unease, suspecting that there might be grains of truth in Cammie's story. His internal conflict is evident when he recalls the phrase “I always wanted to be a nature boy” from his donor questionnaire—a line that Cammie finds moving but that makes his chest tighten.
Cammie, for her part, is desperate to be believed. She speaks rapidly, offering proof through a DNA test, and her detailed account of Ronnie's behavior suggests a mix of genuine trauma and possible delusion. The narrator's skepticism pushes her away, but she persists, revealing more information in a bid for trust.
The chapter ends with the narrator physically vulnerable—stranded on a bridge in a powerless vehicle—mirroring his emotional vulnerability as he confronts the possibility that his past actions have created a hidden family.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Conspiracy theories and paranoia: Cammie's story about a cabal of powerful people collecting donor children taps into familiar conspiracy tropes, but the narrator's skepticism forces the reader to question what is real.
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DNA and paternity: The concept of “diblings” highlights the impersonal nature of sperm donation and the unexpected consequences of biological connections.
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Trust and proof: The narrator demands evidence, while Cammie offers only her word and a promise of a DNA test. The tension between belief and verification drives the chapter.
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Isolation and the nature boy motif: The narrator's donor questionnaire line “I always wanted to be a nature boy” becomes a poignant symbol of his desire for simplicity and escape, contrasting with the chaotic reality he now faces.
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Synchronicity: The narrator notes the coincidence of a red leaf hitting the windshield just as the phone rings, suggesting a pattern or meaning in seemingly random events.
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Power outage as disruption: The blackout symbolizes the sudden collapse of the narrator's assumptions and the intrusion of the unknown into his controlled world.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter expands the novel's central mystery by introducing the concept of diblings and a potential conspiracy involving wealthy adopters. It deepens the narrator's personal stakes, as he learns he may have many children he never knew about, including two daughters of a famous entrepreneur. The introduction of Ronnie adds another layer of intrigue, hinting at a larger network of hidden family members. The chapter ends with a dramatic cliffhanger—the narrator stranded on a bridge during a blackout—raising the tension and setting up the next phase of his journey.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the narrator's reaction to Cammie's claims reflect his character and past experiences?
The narrator's immediate skepticism and his comparison of Cammie to his mother's con games reveal a deep-seated distrust of others, shaped by a childhood of deception. He tries to remain polite but uses Occam's razor to dismiss her, showing a rational, defensive mindset. Yet his unease and the emotional impact of the “nature boy” line suggest he is not entirely closed off to the possibility of truth.
2. What role does the power outage play in the chapter's narrative and thematic structure?
The power outage serves as a dramatic turning point. It cuts off Cammie's voice just as she is about to reveal more about Ronnie, leaving the narrator (and the reader) in suspense. Thematically, the blackout symbolizes the sudden disruption of the narrator's worldview—his assumptions about his past and his identity are thrown into darkness. It also isolates him physically, mirroring his emotional isolation.
3. How does the introduction of Ronnie complicate the narrator's understanding of his own history?
Ronnie's existence proves that Cammie's story has at least some basis in fact, since she shares a specific embryo batch with him. The narrator learns that his sperm donations created not just one child but many, and that some of them have had troubling experiences. Ronnie's disappearance and inappropriate behavior suggest that the hidden family is not a simple happy reunion but a source of danger and unresolved trauma.