Chapter 2 Summary: 'The Monster' — August 15, 2019

⚠️ 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 on August 15, 2019, with an unnamed narrator—a self-described monster—observing a teenage girl from a distance. The narrator is immediately struck by the girl’s scent, which carries traces of grape slushy, cigarettes, and vodka stolen from her father’s hidden bottle in the boathouse. This sensory experience triggers a flood of memories from the narrator’s own childhood, specifically a time when she and her sister attempted to transform into werewolves.

The memory unfolds: after watching The Wolf Man together, the two sisters found a book containing a werewolf spell. Despite the narrator’s initial reluctance, her sister convinced her to try it. They sneaked into the woods at midnight, cut their thumbs, drank a potion, and burned a candle under a full moon. They ran naked and howling through the trees, pretending ferns were wolfsbane, but nothing happened. Disappointed, they returned home, swore never to speak of it, and went to bed as ordinary human girls.

Back in the present, the narrator approaches the girl, who guesses she might be a ghost. The narrator, wearing a disguise of weeds, bones, sticks, cattail stalks, and fishing line, feels an intense love for the girl—a love rooted in the knowledge that she will soon “change” her. The girl asks for a wish, and the narrator promises it will come soon. When the girl suggests playing a game, the narrator eagerly agrees. The girl chooses tag, declaring her cabin as “safety” and slapping the narrator’s arm before running off.

The narrator gives chase but deliberately lets the girl stay ahead, allowing her to believe she might reach the safety of her cabin, where her parents and her old dog Dusty wait. Dusty growls whenever he catches the narrator’s scent, sensing what she truly is. As the narrator runs, she recalls her childhood games of chasing her sister, pretending to be movie monsters like the Wolf Man or Dracula, but she was never fast enough to catch her. Now, forty years later, she is determined to catch this girl—because she never could catch her sister. The chapter ends with the narrator’s chilling declaration that she is a real monster now, not just pretending, and that she will catch this girl to save her.

Key Events

The narrator, a monster, observes a girl and is overwhelmed by her scent, which evokes memories of her own past.
The narrator recalls a childhood attempt with her sister to become werewolves under a full moon, which failed.
The narrator confronts the girl, who mistakes her for a ghost.
The girl asks for a wish; the narrator promises to grant it soon.
The girl proposes a game of tag, with her cabin as safety, and runs off.
The narrator chases her but intentionally holds back, letting the girl believe she might escape.
The narrator reflects on her childhood inability to catch her sister and vows to catch this girl now.
The chapter ends with the narrator’s resolve to “save” the girl by changing her, as she has changed others.

Character Development

The Monster (Narrator): The narrator is revealed to be a creature who was once human, as evidenced by her memories of a childhood with a sister. She is driven by a deep, unresolved longing tied to her sister—she never caught her in their games, and that failure haunts her. Her love for the girl is possessive and twisted, rooted in a desire to “save” her by transforming her, much as she herself was transformed. The narrator’s disguise—weeds, bones, and fishing line—suggests a being that has become one with the natural world, yet is also a product of decay and ruin. Her sensory memory of the girl’s scent shows how the past still controls her present actions.

The Girl: Though unnamed, the girl is portrayed as rebellious and innocent—sneaking cigarettes and vodka, wearing goth makeup, and having triple-pierced ears. She is described as “a good girl trying so hard to look bad.” Her choice to play tag, a child’s game, hints at a lingering innocence despite her attempts to appear mature. She is unaware of the danger she is in, believing the narrator is merely a ghost.

The Sister (from memory): The sister is only present in flashback, but she is pivotal. She is the one who convinces the narrator to attempt the werewolf spell, and she is the object of the narrator’s lifelong chase. The narrator’s inability to catch her sister becomes the emotional core of her current obsession.

Dusty (the dog): Dusty is a minor but telling presence. His growling at the narrator’s scent indicates that animals recognize the narrator’s true monstrous nature, reinforcing the idea that the narrator is no longer human.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Memory and the Past: The chapter is structured around the narrator’s sensory trigger—the girl’s smell—which sends her “tumbling back through time.” The past is not just remembered but relived, as the narrator’s present actions are directly shaped by her childhood failure to catch her sister.

Transformation and Becoming: The werewolf spell represents a desire to become something more than human. The narrator’s failed transformation as a child contrasts with her current state as a “real monster.” The theme of change is central: the narrator intends to “change” the girl, just as she herself was changed.

Monstrosity and Identity: The narrator explicitly rejects the label of werewolf, insisting she is a different kind of monster. Her disguise—made of natural materials—suggests a creature that has merged with the wild, yet she retains human memories and emotions. The question of what makes someone a monster is explored through her self-awareness and her twisted sense of love and salvation.

The Moon: The full moon is a recurring symbol, associated with the failed werewolf spell and the narrator’s childhood. It also appears in the narrator’s warning to herself: “Don’t look at the moon.” The moon represents both the allure of transformation and the danger of becoming something inhuman.

Childhood Games and the Chase: Tag is a game of pursuit and capture, mirroring the narrator’s lifelong chase after her sister. The narrator’s deliberate decision to let the girl stay ahead echoes her past inability to catch her sister, but now she is in control. The game becomes a metaphor for the narrator’s predatory nature.

Sensory Memory: The narrator’s acute sense of smell—detecting grape slushy, cigarettes, and vodka—anchors her in the present while simultaneously unlocking the past. This motif emphasizes how deeply the past is embedded in the narrator’s psyche.

Sibling Loss and Unresolved Past: The narrator’s obsession with the girl is directly linked to her unresolved relationship with her sister. The line “Here it is, forty years later, and still it’s always her I’m chasing” reveals that the girl is a stand-in for the sister, and the narrator’s need to catch her is an attempt to rewrite history.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is crucial because it introduces the novel’s antagonist—the Monster—from her own perspective. It establishes her backstory, her motivations, and her method of operation. The reader learns that the Monster was once a human girl with a sister, and that her current predatory behavior stems from a deep-seated trauma related to that sister. The chapter also sets up the central conflict: the Monster intends to “save” the girl by transforming her, which will likely drive the plot forward. Additionally, the chapter establishes the setting—a remote, isolated area with a cabin and a generator—and introduces key symbols like the moon and the chase. The Monster’s internal monologue creates a chilling atmosphere and raises questions about identity, memory, and the nature of evil.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does the narrator let the girl stay ahead during the game of tag?

The narrator deliberately allows the girl to remain ahead because she wants to prolong the girl’s belief that she can reach safety. This mirrors the narrator’s childhood experience of chasing her sister and never catching her. By letting the girl think she might escape, the narrator savors the moment and also ensures that the girl’s eventual capture will be more impactful. The narrator states that she “let her stay ahead” to let the girl “hold on to the fantasy of returning to her old life,” which shows that the narrator is methodical and enjoys the psychological aspect of the hunt.

2. What does the narrator’s memory of the werewolf spell reveal about her character?

The memory reveals that the narrator once yearned for transformation, just as she now seeks to transform others. As a child, she was hesitant but was persuaded by her sister, indicating a susceptibility to influence. The failed spell left her disappointed, but it also planted the idea that change is possible. In the present, she has become a “real monster,” suggesting that her desire for transformation was ultimately fulfilled, though in a way she may not have anticipated. The memory also establishes her deep bond with her sister, which remains unresolved and drives her current actions.

3. How does the narrator’s perception of the girl contrast with the girl’s self-presentation?

The narrator sees the girl as “dangerous and alive,” full of possibility, and loves her for qualities the narrator feels she herself lacks. The girl, however, presents herself as rebellious—wearing goth makeup, sneaking cigarettes, and drinking vodka—but the narrator recognizes this as a facade, calling her “a good girl trying so hard to look bad.” This contrast highlights the narrator’s ability to see beneath surfaces, and it also underscores the girl’s innocence, which makes her a vulnerable target. The narrator’s love is possessive and predatory, rooted in what the girl represents rather than who she truly is.