Soul Searching Chapter 22 Summary – Chapter 20: Brady

⚠️ 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

When a power outage traps Brady and Collins in his apartment, Collins lights candles and teases Brady about his lack of a generator. Their easy banter gives way to a deeper conversation. Collins reveals she has never told anyone outside her family about her ability to see and speak to ghosts—not friends, not romantic partners. Brady shares why he called off his engagement: a relationship built on convenience that made him feel like a shell. After admitting they are both attracted to each other, the candles blow out without explanation. Collins confirms the feeling is mutual, and they share a passionate, uninhibited first kiss.

Key Events

A power outage forces Collins to light candles around Brady's apartment.
Collins explains that ghosts dislike harsh light and bad weather, calling back to earlier conversations.
She opens up about never having had a serious relationship, only blurred lines with intimacy.
Brady zones out thinking about Collins's body, flustered by his own attraction.
Collins shares that only she and her sister Clarke inherited the full ability to see and talk to ghosts; their mother is “sensitive,” and their father is normal.
They play the Game of Life; Collins reveals six ghosts are drawn to the candle glow.
Brady describes his failed engagement: a long slide into unhappiness that led him to leave everything behind.
The candles suddenly go out, and both characters acknowledge their mutual desire.
Collins confirms no ghosts are watching, and Brady kisses her for the first time.

Character Development

Brady: For the first time, he openly dissects his past relationship, admitting he stayed because it was convenient and he became a person he didn't recognize. His decision to blow up his life and move to Sweetwater Peak is framed as an act of self-rescue. He also moves past his skepticism about ghosts, now accepting Collins’s world with genuine curiosity.
Collins: She breaks a lifetime of guardedness by confessing she never told anyone about her abilities, not even brief partners. Her admission that she protects this part of herself above all else highlights her deep vulnerability. By the chapter’s end, she chooses to be seen and chosen by Brady.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Light and Darkness: The candles represent fragile warmth and intimacy, while the unexplained extinguishing of all flames mirrors the moment when both characters drop their defenses and let true connection ignite.
Ghosts as Metaphor: The ghosts that Collins sees—and the six that hover near the candles—symbolize the hidden parts of people’s lives, the stories that linger unseen. Brady's willingness to accept their presence parallels his willingness to see Collins as she truly is.
Game of Life: The board game they play underscores the chapter’s concern with life choices—careers, marriage, divorce. Brady’s draw of “Twins” and Collins’s “Divorce” cards reflect their separate, unresolved pasts and the unpredictability of real life.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 22 is the emotional pivot where both characters stop holding back. Brady’s confession about his engagement explains why he fled to Sweetwater Peak and needed to start over. Collins’s admission that she has never trusted anyone with her secret shows the depth of her isolation. Their kiss, after the candles die, is a literal and figurative moment of darkness giving way to authentic intimacy. From here, the romance moves from attraction to commitment, and the supernatural element becomes less about curiosity and more about shared acceptance.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Brady say his engagement was “detrimental” to him?
Brady explains that the relationship was based on convenience rather than genuine connection. Over time, his unhappiness seeped into every part of his life, and Jackie’s need for control made him “malleable” and “shell-like.” He realized staying would mean losing himself, so he chose to leave even though the reason felt intangible to others.

2. What does Collins’s admission about never having told anyone about her abilities reveal about her character?
It reveals that Collins has built a life of careful self-protection. She feared people would either use her or reject her, so she kept her deepest truth hidden even from close friends and partners. Telling Brady demonstrates a monumental shift in trust—she is finally letting herself be fully known.

3. How does the power outage function as a plot device in this chapter?
The blackout forces Brady and Collins out of their ordinary routines and into a confined, intimate space. The lack of electricity strips away distraction, while the candlelight creates a confessional atmosphere. When the candles go out at the pivotal moment, the darkness removes all inhibition and allows their physical and emotional connection to surface.

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