And Then They Talked: Chapter 43 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ 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 with Maddie fixing Nate with an intense stare and finally telling him the full story she has been holding back. She explains that she went to meet Sissy Kalbacher, the fifth abductee of Edmund Walker Reese—the one who escaped. Sissy told Maddie what happened in Reese’s house, and now Maddie shares her own side of the story, which she began to recover while in a sensory deprivation tank.
Maddie describes her childhood in Philadelphia with her father, Denny, a city cop who later helped Nate join the force. Because of her father’s job, Maddie grew up with an unusually mature awareness of crime in the city, including the case of Edmund Reese and his four dead victims plus the missing fifth girl. She remembers dreaming about that girl—lost, alone, and afraid—and waking up one night determined to help, just as her father would. As a young artist, she gathered scissors, tape, and cardboard boxes and began to construct what she later understood to be the Box Man.
Maddie recalls losing time during the creation. She remembers gathering materials and sitting down to start, but the next thing she knew, the Box Man was finished. She also has a vague memory of someone else being present, though she cannot identify who. Sissy told Maddie that the Box Man was in Reese’s house and saved her by stabbing Reese in the leg with a pair of scissors—Maddie’s scissors.
Nate asks clarifying questions, and Maddie confirms she believes the Box Man was alive or animated, that she somehow made it so, and that it was present in Reese’s house. She also reveals that Sissy mentioned seeing a bearded man staring through the window, and that Sissy saw Maddie herself helping her escape. Maddie then tells Nate that she found news stories from the time of Sissy’s return, and that a city cop—not local or state police—drove Sissy home. Maddie has a fuzzy memory of her father dropping her off at her grandmother’s house and saying he had to take a little girl home. She believes that girl was Sissy.
Maddie then admits that this phenomenon has been happening again. She has recently made things that came alive: a new Box Man, a carved owl that flew away, and a crude facsimile of Edmund Reese himself.
Nate takes a moment to absorb all of this, then tells Maddie everything he has experienced. He describes seeing his father holding a gun in the wrong hand, the tall bearded man in the woods with sores on his skin whose jaw broke as he screamed and who vanished in a bolt of lightning, and the girl who appeared in the lightning and was stolen by it—lightning that seemed to carry the face of Edmund Walker Reese. He also reveals that he saw Maddie’s carved owl twice: once in a tree and again after the girl disappeared.
Maddie concludes that Reese is the nexus of everything—that all events intersect with him—and that there must be more victims, people no one knows about. Nate then mentions that Jed may have seen something, since Jed came outside during the storm when Nate was fighting with his father. Maddie encourages Nate to visit Jed, noting that Jed is an expert on Reese and might help them sort through what is happening.
The chapter ends with the two of them embracing, confessing their love, and making love on the dining room table—an act that feels like a release of the barrier that had been between them.
Key Events
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Maddie reveals she met Sissy Kalbacher, Reese’s fifth abductee, and learned the Box Man saved her.
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Maddie recounts her childhood memory of making the Box Man and losing time during its creation.
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Maddie connects her father Denny to Sissy’s return, believing he drove Sissy home.
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Maddie admits she has recently made objects that came alive: a new Box Man, a carved owl, and a facsimile of Reese.
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Nate shares his own supernatural experiences: his father with a gun in the wrong hand, a bearded man vanishing in lightning, a girl stolen by lightning, and seeing the carved owl twice.
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Maddie and Nate conclude that Reese is the nexus and that more hidden victims exist.
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Nate decides to visit Jed, who may have witnessed Nate’s confrontation with his father.
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Maddie and Nate reconcile emotionally and physically.
Character Development
Maddie undergoes a significant transformation in this chapter. She moves from keeping secrets to full confession, trusting Nate with the most bizarre and frightening parts of her history. Her childhood memory of making the Box Man reveals a deep-seated desire to help others, mirroring her father’s dedication to his work. Her admission that the phenomenon is recurring shows her vulnerability and her fear of what she might be capable of.
Nate demonstrates his capacity for trust and openness. He listens to Maddie’s story without judgment and then reciprocates by sharing his own experiences, which he had previously kept to himself. His decision to visit Jed shows his willingness to seek answers and confront the unknown.
The chapter also deepens the relationship between Maddie and Nate. Their shared confession creates a new level of intimacy, and their physical reunion on the dining room table symbolizes the breaking down of barriers between them.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Art as a conduit for the supernatural: Maddie’s creations—the Box Man, the owl, and the Reese facsimile—come alive, suggesting that her artistic ability is somehow connected to the strange forces at work in the story.
Recovered memory: Maddie’s time in the sensory deprivation tank unlocks buried memories, suggesting that the past is not fully accessible but can resurface under the right conditions.
Lightning as a conduit: Nate’s experiences with lightning—the bearded man vanishing, the girl being stolen—link the supernatural events to a specific natural phenomenon.
Shared delusion vs. reality: Maddie and Nate explicitly consider whether they are both crazy and sharing a delusion, or whether the events are real. Their conclusion that it is real reinforces the story’s commitment to the supernatural.
Interconnected fates: The chapter emphasizes that all the strange events converge on Edmund Reese, making him the nexus of the narrative.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the novel. It brings together the separate threads of Maddie’s and Nate’s experiences, revealing that they are connected in ways neither of them fully understood. The confession scene establishes trust between the two main characters and sets up the next phase of the story: Nate’s visit to Jed, who may hold more answers. The chapter also deepens the mystery of Reese, suggesting that his influence extends far beyond the known victims.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does Maddie’s childhood memory of making the Box Man reveal about her character?
Maddie’s memory shows that even as a child, she was driven to help others, mirroring her father’s dedication to his work as a cop. Her desire to save the missing girl led her to create the Box Man, which later saved Sissy. This suggests that Maddie’s artistic ability is not just a hobby but a manifestation of her deeper instincts to protect and rescue.
2. How do Maddie and Nate’s experiences complement each other in this chapter?
Maddie’s experiences involve creating objects that come alive, while Nate’s involve witnessing supernatural events like the bearded man vanishing in lightning and the girl being stolen. Together, their stories suggest that they are both connected to the same supernatural force, centered on Edmund Reese. Their shared confession allows them to see that they are not alone in their experiences.
3. Why does Nate decide to visit Jed, and what does this suggest about the next phase of the story?
Nate decides to visit Jed because Jed may have witnessed Nate’s confrontation with his father during the storm. Maddie points out that Jed is an expert on Reese, so he might help them understand what is happening. This suggests that the next phase of the story will involve seeking external help and possibly uncovering more about Reese’s history and the hidden victims.
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