Parrish Eddings: The Unwilling Heir of the Saint

Overview

Parrish Eddings is the twenty-one-year-old niece of Traci Eddings, the CEO of the Saint Cecelia resort. She reluctantly agrees to postpone a European study program to work the summer at the family hotel, taking a guest relations position. Parrish is defined by her sharp wit, a defensive “cement face,” and a secret notebook she calls her “little blue bitch book” for recording guest complaints. Her death—a fentanyl overdose at a staff after-party—is the novel’s central crime, mistakenly killing her when the poison was intended for another employee, Livvy Grayson. Parrish’s presence at the Saint exposes simmering class tensions, family secrets, and the hidden debts that threaten the resort’s survival.

Throughout the story, Parrish is both a reluctant participant and an accidental catalyst. Her murder forces Traci to confront the resort’s financial ruin, her brother-in-law Ric’s schemes, and the decades-old drowning of a boy named Hudson—events that ultimately reshape the Saint’s future.

Plot Role

Parrish serves as the emotional and dramatic engine of the novel. Her death—discovered behind the Shack after the Beach Bash—triggers a police investigation, a press conference that reveals fentanyl in her system, and a deepening rift between Traci and Ric. Before her murder, Parrish is a source of comic relief (handling Colonel McBee’s complaints) and a confidante to Livvy, with whom she agrees to investigate the past. Her “bitch book” becomes a crucial clue after Livvy recovers it from Parrish’s ransacked dorm room, containing technical notes about air-conditioning and mattress problems that point to a larger scheme—the theft of liquor and a cover-up involving Madelyn Eddings.

Parrish’s mistaken murder drives the plot’s second half: it unites Traci and private investigator Scott Whelan, leads to the exposure of Madelyn as the mastermind, and ultimately brings Livvy into her inheritance as Ric’s secret daughter. Parrish’s absence is felt throughout the epilogue, where her memory is honored by the family’s renewed commitment to the Saint.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Reluctant Loyalty: Parrish agrees to work at the Saint only after Traci reveals the resort is “bleeding red ink” and might close. She negotiates a higher salary and demands that Traci explain the decision to her father Ric. This shows a practical, deal-making side beneath her resentment.

Defensive Humor: She uses sarcasm and a “cement face” to deflect pressure. When Garrett jabs her about being “slumming” at Pour Willy’s, she fires back, “Are you gonna keep up with that snobby rich girl stuff?”

Keen Observation: Parrish’s “bitch book” is more than a complaint log. She notes recurring issues—mattress problems, uneven air-conditioning—and makes her own BTU calculations, suggesting she senses something systematic wrong at the hotel. She also tells Garrett about Hoke’s missing key-man insurance, revealing she understands the business’s fragility.

Impulsivity and Desire for Escape: She drinks and smokes at the bonfire party despite knowing better, partly to fit in with the staff. In chapter 27, the hallucination of her grandmother suggests a deep yearning for comfort and escape from her strained home life.

Commitment to Truth: She promises Livvy to cautiously investigate the rift between Traci and Shannon, and she refuses to promise Garrett secrecy about the liquor theft—texting Traci for an urgent meeting the morning after their bar confrontation.

Chronological Arc

• Pre-Novel: Parrish works at the Saint every summer since age fourteen, majoring in hospitality management at Georgetown. She has a pregnancy scare in high school, an abusive boyfriend, and a minor brush with the law during freshman year—secrets she trusts only to Traci.
• Chapter 2: Traci persuades Parrish to cancel her European program. Parrish negotiates pay and confronts her father Ric, who is furious.
• Chapter 16: Parrish moves into the staff dorm, immediately bristling at Garrett’s questions about her motives.
• Chapter 22: At Pour Willy’s, she confides in Garrett about the resort’s debt and Hoke’s lack of key-man insurance. They dance; Garrett gets drunk and humiliates her.
• Chapter 23: Driving home, Garrett reveals a liquor theft scam at the Saint. Parrish refuses to promise secrecy and texts Traci for a meeting.
• Chapter 27: After the Beach Bash, Parrish attends the bonfire party at the Shack. She drinks punch laced with fentanyl (intended for Livvy), becomes disoriented, and collapses in the mud, hallucinating her grandmother.
• Chapter 30: Her body is discovered behind the Shack. The medical examiner rules her death a homicide by fentanyl overdose.
• Chapters 31-75: Parrish’s funeral, the press conference, and the subsequent investigation lead to Madelyn’s arrest. Her “bitch book” is recovered and used to uncover the theft.
• Epilogue: One year later, Parrish is remembered as the niece whose death united the family and exposed the truth.

Relationships

Traci Eddings (Aunt): Parrish’s most trusted adult. She confides in Traci about family secrets, and Traci treats her almost as a daughter. Their bond is tested by Parrish’s resentment at being guilt-tripped into working, but Traci’s genuine grief after the murder shows the depth of their connection.

Ric Eddings (Father): A tense, oppositional relationship. Ric is controlling and dismissive; Parrish calls him “Mister Know-it-All.” He blames Traci for Parrish’s death, but the epilogue implies he has deteriorated physically and legally.

Heather Eddings (Mother): Absent for most of Parrish’s life due to depression and fear of repeating an abusive upbringing. At the funeral, Heather sings “Tears in Heaven” and later reconciles with Traci, wanting answers about her daughter’s death.

Livvy Grayson: Friends and dorm-mates. Parrish is the first to believe Livvy’s suspicion about the past and agrees to investigate. Their casual evening in chapter 20 forges a bond that lasts beyond Parrish’s life, as Livvy inherits her guest relations role.

Garrett Wycoff: A complicated acquaintance. They go to Pour Willy’s together, but Garrett’s drunkenness and later confession about theft create tension. He is indirectly responsible for the murder chain (Madelyn uses him as a pawn), though he did not intend Parrish’s death.

Key Decisions and Consequences

1. Postponing Europe: Parrish’s decision to work at the Saint saves the resort from closing but places her in the path of a murder plot. Without her presence, the crime might never have occurred, and Livvy would have been the target.
2. Refusing to Promise Secrecy: After learning about the liquor theft, she texts Traci for a meeting. This decision signals her loyalty to the resort, but her death prevents her from delivering the information—Traci only learns the full extent from Livvy later.
3. Attending the Bonfire Party: She drinks and smokes to fit in, becoming vulnerable. The fentanyl-laced punch was meant for Livvy; Parrish’s presence is a matter of bad timing and mistaken identity.
4. Keeping the “Bitch Book”: Her meticulous notes provide the key evidence that Livvy and Felice use to connect the murder to the theft scheme and, ultimately, to Madelyn. Without that notebook, the investigation might have stalled.

Theme and Symbol Connections

• Class Divide and Social Hierarchy: Parrish lives on the “wrong side of the causeway” like other working-class employees, yet she is also an Eddings heir. Her death underscores the novel’s exploration of how wealth and privilege do not protect against violence or family dysfunction. See our class divide theme page.
• Family Secrets and Cover-Ups: Parrish’s murder is part of a larger cover-up involving Hoke’s drowning of a boy named Hudson, the paternity of Livvy, and Madelyn’s embezzlement. Her death forces these secrets into the open. Learn more on the family secrets theme page.
• Mother-Daughter Relationships: Parrish’s strained relationship with her mother Heather, who left the family, mirrors Livvy’s struggle with Shannon. Both daughters seek truth about their mothers’ pasts. Read about mother-daughter dynamics.
• Grief and Resilience: Traci’s grief over Parrish’s death mirrors her earlier grief over Hoke. The novel shows how loss can either break a person or fuel determination. Explore the grief and resilience theme.
• Justice and Accountability: Parrish’s death is avenged through Madelyn’s arrest and Garrett’s confession, but the novel also questions whether true justice is possible when the system is manipulated by wealth. See justice and accountability.

Parrish herself becomes a symbol of the price paid for the Saint’s survival—a young life sacrificed to protect the legacy of a family that never fully appreciated her.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Parrish agree to work at the Saint instead of going to Europe?

Parrish agrees because Traci reveals the resort is in serious financial trouble, with key staff quitting and heavy renovation debt. Traci also offers to pay for Parrish’s European program the following year, a higher salary, and a private room in the new dorm. Parrish feels loyalty to the family legacy—“the Saint is your legacy,” Traci says—and negotiates better pay to ease her resentment.

2. What is the “bitch book” and why is it important?

The “bitch book” is a blue composition notebook in which Parrish records guest complaints and requests during her shifts at the guest relations desk. She calls it her “little blue bitch book.” After her murder, Livvy recovers it from Parrish’s ransacked dorm room. Inside, Livvy discovers technical notes about uneven air-conditioning and recurring mattress problems, which point to the resort’s hidden theft scheme and help prove Madelyn’s role in the murder.

3. How does Parrish’s death happen, and who is responsible?

Parrish dies from fentanyl poisoning at the staff after-party following the Beach Bash. Fentanyl was mixed into the punch, intended to kill Livvy Grayson—who is the secret daughter of Ric Eddings and Shannon Grayson. Madelyn Eddings, Ric’s wife, masterminded the murder plot to prevent Livvy from inheriting part of the Saint. She used Garrett Wycoff as a pawn to spike the drink. Parrish drinks the punch by mistake, becoming the unintended victim.

4. What does Parrish’s relationship with her father Ric reveal about family tensions?

Ric is controlling, dismissive, and openly hostile toward Traci. He opposes Parrish living in the staff dorm and blames Traci for “bribing” her daughter. Parrish sees through his manipulations, calling him “Mister Know-it-All” and confiding in Traci instead. Ric’s inability to protect her—or to see the danger Madelyn posed—underscores the novel’s theme of dysfunctional family dynamics and the cost of keeping secrets.

5. How does Parrish’s character drive the resolution of the story?

Although Parrish dies early, her actions set the investigation in motion. Her “bitch book” provides evidence; her confidential text to Traci about “something serious” alerts Traci to the theft; and her murder forces Traci to partner with Whelan to uncover the truth about both the drowning of Hudson and Madelyn’s scheme. In the epilogue, Livvy takes over Parrish’s guest relations role and co-owns the Saint. Parrish’s legacy is one of unintended sacrifice that leads to the family’s renewal.

For more details on the novel’s ending, visit our ending explained page. To explore further questions about plot and characters, see the questions and answers.