Chapter 5: 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

The chapter opens the morning after Andrew retrieves his Supra from the impound lot. He finds a sticky note on the coffee table from Riley, along with a packed pipe and a lighter. Riley has left his phone number and a peace offering, which Andrew accepts, smoking a bowl before texting Riley a brief acknowledgment.

While checking his phone, Andrew listens to two voicemails from the estate executor. He learns that he now owns a large plot of land in the countryside and that his inheritance has made him a millionaire. The news barely registers; it feels no different from when Eddie used to let him use his cards freely. He also sees an ongoing text thread from Del, which he avoids.

Andrew then messages West, asking for an introduction to Dr. Troth, Eddie's faculty advisor. West responds immediately, saying Troth has something she wanted to give Eddie and that Andrew might be interested. They agree to meet in front of the humanities building.

At the meeting, West leads Andrew to Troth's office. Troth offers condolences and asks how Andrew is settling in. She then raises the question of whether Andrew intends to continue Eddie's research into regional occult folklore, noting that Eddie had said they planned to pursue it together. Andrew, uncomfortable, says he hasn't decided. Troth gives him a cloth tote filled with books she and colleagues had gathered for Eddie, suggesting he might work with them. She mentions Eddie's fieldwork collecting oral traditions from families with long histories in the area, and she references a “spooky childhood experience” Eddie had described in the hollers. Andrew, visibly shaken, abruptly leaves, nearly running out of the building.

Back at the house, Andrew sits on the couch, smoking again. He scrolls through his text thread with Eddie, reading messages from August 6th, including Eddie's plea to “come home” and Andrew's response. He also sees a photo Eddie sent from a bar with Riley, Halse, and Sam. The memory of Eddie's grin and the impossibility of his suicide weigh on Andrew.

Later, Andrew goes upstairs and finds notebook pages scattered from Eddie's room down the stairs, as if deliberately laid as a trail. He collects them, then retrieves Eddie's wooden box of weed from under the bed. He smokes and recalls the night he and Eddie gave each other matching wrist tattoos in Columbus—a ritual act of bonding. He drifts into a dream of a stag's skull and hot mud, burying himself in the earth. He wakes gasping to the sound of the front door slamming; Riley has arrived and offers to help bring Andrew's stuff in from the car.

Key Events

Andrew retrieves his Supra and finds Riley's note and pipe.
He learns he has inherited a large plot of land and become a millionaire.
West arranges a meeting with Dr. Troth.
Troth gives Andrew a tote of books and asks if he will continue Eddie's occult folklore research.
Troth mentions Eddie's fieldwork and a childhood experience, triggering Andrew's trauma.
Andrew flees the meeting and returns home.
He reads Eddie's old texts and sees a photo of Eddie with Riley, Halse, and Sam.
He finds notebook pages scattered from Eddie's room and collects them.
He retrieves Eddie's wooden box of weed and smokes.
He recalls the matching wrist tattoos he and Eddie gave each other.
He dreams of a stag's skull and mud, then wakes to Riley's arrival.

Character Development

Andrew remains mired in grief and avoidance. He smokes to numb himself, avoids Del's texts, and shies away from Eddie's research. The meeting with Troth exposes his fragility: he cannot handle the mention of Eddie's childhood experiences, which clearly connect to his own trauma. His abrupt exit shows how raw those memories are. The scattered notebook pages and the dream of the stag's skull suggest the supernatural is actively pressing on him, and he is beginning to acknowledge that the haunting is not over.

Riley appears as a considerate roommate, leaving a peace offering and later offering to help with Andrew's belongings. His actions hint at a desire to connect, though Andrew remains guarded.

West acts as a facilitator, arranging the meeting and showing deference to Troth. His easy familiarity with the academic world contrasts with Andrew's alienation.

Dr. Troth is introduced as a composed, empathetic figure who is also deeply invested in Eddie's research. Her mention of Eddie's “spooky childhood experience” suggests she knows more than she reveals, and her gift of books positions her as a potential ally—or a source of unsettling knowledge.

Eddie is present through memory and text. The photo and the tattoo recollection reinforce the depth of his bond with Andrew, making his death feel even more inexplicable.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Southern Gothic and Occult Folklore: Troth's description of Eddie's fieldwork—collecting oral traditions from families with long histories—anchors the novel's regional and supernatural concerns. The tote of books symbolizes the weight of Eddie's unfinished work.
Inheritance and Burden: Andrew's sudden wealth and land ownership are presented as hollow, while the real inheritance is Eddie's research and the haunting that comes with it. The scattered notebook pages act as a supernatural breadcrumb trail, forcing Andrew to engage with what Eddie left behind.
Ritual Bonding: The tattoo scene in Columbus is a ritual of shared pain and commitment. The matching marks become a physical reminder of Andrew's connection to Eddie, and his touching them in the present underscores his grief.
Substance Escapism: Andrew repeatedly smokes to dull his emotions, but the weed only leads to the disturbing dream of the stag's skull and mud, suggesting that escape is impossible.
Childhood Trauma: Troth's casual mention of Eddie's “spooky childhood experience” triggers a visceral reaction in Andrew, linking his past to the present supernatural events.
Revenant Haunting: The scattered pages and the dream reinforce that the creature is not gone; it is actively manipulating Andrew's environment and psyche.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the mystery of Eddie's death and Andrew's entanglement with the supernatural. It introduces Dr. Troth, who provides crucial context about Eddie's research and hints at a shared history that Andrew is desperate to avoid. The inheritance revelation adds a new layer to Andrew's situation, but the emotional core is his confrontation with Eddie's memory and the growing evidence that the haunting is real and persistent. The tattoo flashback humanizes Eddie and strengthens the bond between the two men, making the loss more poignant. The chapter ends with Andrew waking from a disturbing dream, setting the stage for further supernatural encounters and his reluctant investigation into Eddie's work.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Andrew react so strongly to Dr. Troth's mention of Eddie's “spooky childhood experience”?

Andrew's reaction is visceral—cold sweat, a choked response, and an abrupt exit. The phrase triggers memories of his own childhood trauma, which he has kept buried. Troth's casual reference suggests that Eddie had shared details of their past, and Andrew is not prepared to confront that exposure. The experience is clearly linked to the supernatural events that now haunt him, making it a painful and dangerous subject.

2. What does the tattoo memory reveal about Andrew and Eddie's relationship?

The memory shows a deep, ritualistic bond. They gave each other matching tattoos in a deliberate act of shared pain and commitment, using homemade needles and ink. The scene is intimate and trusting, with Eddie trembling as Andrew works, and Andrew enduring the pain as Eddie reciprocates. This ritual solidifies their connection, making Eddie's death and the possibility of his abandonment even more incomprehensible to Andrew.

3. How do the scattered notebook pages function as a symbol in this chapter?

The pages appear deliberately arranged, leading from Eddie's room down the stairs like a trail of breadcrumbs. Andrew interprets this as a message from the revenant, a sign that the creature is not gone and is actively engaging with him. The pages symbolize Eddie's unfinished research and the supernatural force that is now drawing Andrew into the mystery, forcing him to confront what he has been avoiding.