Chapter summaries The Boyfriend Freida McFadden

The Boyfriend Chapter 27 (Chapter 26) 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 is a flashback from Tom’s teenage years, set while his mother is visiting her ailing brother, Uncle Dave, in Seattle. Tom is left alone with his alcoholic, abusive father. Externally, Tom is struggling with an ultimatum from his friend Alison: she demands he break up with Daisy, the police chief’s daughter, or she will go to the police about Tom’s involvement in Brandi’s murder. Tom still loves Daisy and cannot bring himself to end the relationship.

That evening, Tom’s father returns home drunk, angry that no dinner was made for him. He accuses Tom of stealing his whiskey and threatens a beating. The conversation turns to Daisy: his father reveals he knows she is Tom’s girlfriend and makes vulgar comments about her, including knowing which bedroom is hers on Peach Street. As his father boasts that he could “make her real happy” and implies sexual assault, Tom snaps. He grabs the steak knife he used for dinner and stabs his father in the gut, then twists the blade. His father collapses but doesn’t die quickly. Tom watches him crawl toward the phone, then steps in his path. He gets down beside his father and slits his throat, saying, “You will never hurt her again.” The chapter ends with Tom knowing he has killed his father to protect Daisy.

Key Events

  • Tom’s mother leaves for Seattle, leaving him alone with his abusive father.
  • Alison’s ultimatum weighs on Tom: he must break up with Daisy or face police exposure for Brandi’s murder.
  • Tom cooks dinner alone; his father comes home drunk and confrontational.
  • His father makes crude, threatening remarks about Daisy, describing her bedroom location and intending to visit her.
  • Tom stabs his father with a steak knife, twists the blade, and later slits his throat.
  • Tom chooses not to call an ambulance, letting his father bleed to death.
  • Tom’s final words to his father are an assertion that he will never hurt Daisy.

Character Development

  • Tom (Tommy): Previously portrayed as a devoted boyfriend, this chapter reveals his capacity for extreme violence. Tom has thought about killing his father “a million times before” in his dreams. He shows no remorse, only satisfaction that Daisy is safe. The chapter also exposes his manipulative nature: he tries to avoid breaking up with Daisy, hoping something else would happen.
  • Tom’s father: An embodiment of alcoholism and abuse. He belittles Tom, threatens beatings, and makes predatory comments about a teenage girl, confirming his depravity.
  • Daisy Driscoll: She is absent from the scene but is the catalyst for Tom’s violence. Tom’s protectiveness of Daisy mirrors the earlier ultimatum from Alison to stay away from her.
  • Alison: Not physically present, but her ultimatum drives Tom’s desperation. The irony is that Tom kills his father while uttering the same words Alison used: “Stay away from Daisy.”

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Cycle of violence: Tom has grown up watching his father beat his mother and threaten him. He breaks the cycle by becoming the aggressor, but his violence is calculated and premeditated.
  • Protection versus possession: Tom claims to protect Daisy, but his actions are also possessive. He kills to keep her, just as he refuses to break up with her despite Alison’s threat.
  • Knife as a symbol of control: Tom sharpens the knife himself and uses it decisively. The knife represents his transition from victim to perpetrator.
  • Blood and footprints: The trail of blood and bloody footprints symbolize the indelible mark of violence that Tom will carry into his adult life.
  • Alcoholism: The father’s drunkenness is a recurring cause of abuse and ultimately leads to his death, reinforcing the destructiveness of addiction.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the pivotal chapter that reveals Tom’s dark past and the true origin of his violent behavior. It explains how he became capable of murder long before the events of the present timeline. The flashback deepens the novel’s suspense by showing that Tom is not merely a suspect in Brandi’s murder but a practiced killer who acts to protect his romantic interests. It also sets up the central conflict: Tom’s love for Daisy is dangerous, and anyone who threatens that love—including Alison—could face the same fate.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Tom choose to kill his father rather than call an ambulance?
    Tom has fantasized about killing his father many times. He sees his father as a threat to Daisy and feels that ending his life is the only way to ensure she is safe. Tom’s lack of hesitation shows that his protective instinct overrides any moral qualms.

  2. How does the chapter use irony in Tom’s final words to his father?
    Tom says, “Stay away from Daisy,” which are the exact words Alison used when warning Tom to break up with Daisy. This irony highlights that Tom is willing to commit murder for the same possessive reason Alison is trying to prevent.

  3. What does Tom’s father’s knowledge of Daisy’s bedroom location suggest about his intentions?
    The father’s specific claim about knowing which room is Daisy’s suggests he has been stalking or at least obsessing over her. Combined with his vulgar comments, it implies he intended to sexually assault her, which is the immediate trigger for Tom’s lethal response.

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