Chapter 27 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

In December 1960, Beth Greer rides the school bus home on the last day before Christmas break. She sits alone, watching other children celebrate, while she feels cold despite her expensive wool coat and matching mittens. The narrative reveals that earlier that year, two older girls bullied her, calling her “rich girl,” and a fight left her with a bloody nose. When the school called her mother, Mariana arrived over an hour later, smelling of alcohol and shouting profanities at the staff and the girls. No one bullied Beth after that, but no one befriended her either.

When Beth arrives home, she is surprised to see the house lit up and both parents present. She recalls that her grandmother recently died and that she overheard her parents arguing, with her father saying, “Jesus Christ, Mariana, what a goddamned mess you’ve made,” and her mother tearfully insisting, “I want to see her. Just once.” Beth does not understand what they mean.

Inside, she finds an undecorated Christmas tree in the corner, with no gifts beneath it, and a strange girl sitting on the sofa. Her mother introduces the girl as Beth’s cousin Lillian, though Beth knows she has no cousins—her father is an only child and her mother’s sister is dead. Lillian is a year or two older than Beth, with long blond hair and a neat blue-and-white checked blouse. She smiles and says she has come to stay for Christmas. Beth’s father makes a disgusted sound and turns away.

Lillian asks Beth if she likes dolls, and Beth says yes. The two go to Beth’s room, where Lillian examines Beth’s belongings, including a teddy bear and a jewelry box with a ballerina. Lillian asks why Beth has no friends, and Beth explains the bullying incident. Lillian says that Beth should have taken care of it herself by making people afraid of her. She offers to teach Beth how. Beth asks where Lillian came from, and Lillian says she lives with people who don’t care about her, but she wanted to come to this house. She claims she has been there before, and Beth suddenly remembers the footprints in the dew and the words “I WAS HERE” written on the window. Lillian admits she dreamed of coming and that Beth invited her. She says they can be sisters, noting that Beth’s middle name is Lillian. Lillian says everyone calls her Lily.

Key Events

Beth rides the bus alone, reflecting on past bullying and her mother’s drunken outburst.
She arrives home to find both parents present and an undecorated Christmas tree.
Her mother introduces a strange girl, Lillian, as Beth’s cousin, though Beth has no cousins.
Lillian claims she will teach Beth to make people afraid.
Beth realizes Lillian left the footprints and the window message she saw earlier.
Lillian says she dreamed of coming and that Beth invited her.
Lillian reveals that Beth’s middle name is Lillian and that she goes by Lily.

Character Development

Beth is portrayed as isolated and emotionally neglected. She has no friends, and her parents are distant or dysfunctional. Her acceptance of Lillian—despite knowing she is not a real cousin—shows her desperate need for connection. She feels both excitement and dread, sensing that Lillian’s arrival is “wonderful and terrible at the same time.” This moment marks a turning point in her childhood, as she begins to engage with a mysterious presence that will shape her future.

Lillian is enigmatic and manipulative. She appears out of nowhere, claims to have dreamed of coming, and immediately asserts control over Beth. She speaks matter-of-factly about making people afraid and treats Beth’s belongings with casual disregard, as if she has a right to them. Her gray-green eyes and perfect blond hair give her an otherworldly quality. She insists that Beth invited her, blurring the line between reality and dream.

Mariana is shown as fragile and partially sober, wearing pearls she last wore for an aborted church visit. She presents Lillian as a playmate, but her smile is tenuous, and her fingers rub her pearls nervously. Beth’s father is silent and disgusted, drinking by the window, suggesting he knows more about Lillian’s origin than he reveals.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Loneliness and isolation: Beth’s solitary bus ride and lack of friends highlight her emotional emptiness.
Parental neglect and alcoholism: Mariana’s drunken outburst and her father’s detachment underscore the family’s dysfunction.
Family secrets and lies: The false claim that Lillian is a cousin, and the parents’ hidden argument, point to deeper secrets.
Identity and names: Beth’s middle name, Lillian, connects her to the mysterious girl, suggesting a shared or stolen identity.
Supernatural presence: Lillian’s dreamlike arrival, the footprints, and the window message imply a supernatural or paranormal element.
Fear as a tool: Lillian’s lesson that one can make others afraid to avoid being bullied introduces a dark coping mechanism.
Christmas symbolism: The undecorated tree, with no gifts, symbolizes the lack of warmth and joy in the Greer household.
Class and wealth: The “rich girl” insult and Beth’s expensive clothing contrast with her emotional poverty.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter provides crucial backstory for Beth Greer, revealing the childhood encounter that likely shapes her adult life and the central mystery of the novel. It introduces Lillian as a mysterious figure who may be supernatural, and it establishes the motif of fear as a tool that Beth might later use. The chapter also deepens the enigma of the Greer family, hinting at secrets involving Mariana’s past and the identity of Lillian. By showing Beth’s willingness to accept Lillian, the chapter sets up a relationship that could explain the cold cases and Beth’s involvement in them.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Beth accept Lillian so readily, despite knowing she is not a real cousin?

Beth is deeply lonely and neglected by her parents. She has no friends and feels isolated. Lillian offers the promise of companionship and sisterhood, which Beth craves. Even though she senses something is wrong, she is drawn to the idea of having someone who wants to be with her. 2. What does the undecorated Christmas tree symbolize in this chapter?

The tree, delivered but not decorated, with no gifts beneath it, represents the lack of holiday warmth and family connection in the Greer household. It is described as “out of place and a little sinister,” mirroring the unsettling arrival of Lillian and the underlying tension between Beth’s parents. 3. How does Lillian’s claim about dreaming and footprints connect to the supernatural elements of the story?

Lillian says she dreamed of coming to the house and that Beth invited her. The footprints in the dew and the message “I WAS HERE” suggest that Lillian physically visited the property, yet she claims she could not find a way in. This blurring of dream and reality, combined with her sudden appearance and her knowledge of Beth’s middle name, implies that Lillian may be a supernatural entity or a manifestation of Beth’s own desires and fears.