Chapter 24 Summary: Vi's Perspective, July 20, 1978

⚠️ 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 the evening of July 20, 1978, with Vi and Iris alone in Vi's room after dinner. Iris is heavily sedated—Gran gave her medication to calm her after her episode at the fire the previous night. Vi is consumed by guilt: she devised the plan for Iris to fake a breakdown, and Eric was punished by Gran for setting the fire.

Vi has been carrying a secret all day. She had told both Iris and Eric that her key didn't work and she couldn't get into the Inn's basement, but that was a lie. She actually did get in, and she found something disturbing. She's been living with this secret, feeling it coiled inside her like a poisonous snake.

Vi watches the lights of the Inn from her window. Gran is working late—a patient is in crisis. Vi's feelings toward Gran are deeply conflicted: half of her still loves the woman who raised her, taught her to read, nurtured her ambitions to become a doctor, and sang her lullabies. The other half hates her with a ferocity Vi didn't know she was capable of. She now knows Gran is the same woman who wrote those notes, who did horrible things to Iris and others.

Vi tells Iris she shouldn't take the pills Gran gives her, advising her to fake taking them and spit them out. Vi reveals she didn't drink her special milkshake that morning either—she no longer trusts Gran.

Vi admits the truth: she did get into the basement, into B West, and she found things out. She pulls a folder of notes from under her mattress and gives them to Iris to read. Iris reads for about an hour while Vi watches, chewing her nails.

When Iris looks up, she's devastated. She concludes she is Patient S—that she killed her parents and her sister. Vi struggles to find words to describe what Gran and Dr. Hutchins did to her.

Outside, they hear a howl. It's Eric, calling for the Monster Club's full-moon monster hunt. Vi tries to send him away, but Iris, moving like a sleepwalker, puts on a dark hooded sweatshirt and goes out anyway.

Eric leads them through the woods to the creek, where he shows footprints he believes belong to the Ghoul—boots with smooth soles, too big for Gran, too small for Old Mac. When Vi turns around, Iris has vanished.

They hear a branch snap and follow the sound deeper into the woods. Eric's flashlight catches a pale face with a dark hood—but it's not the Ghoul. It's Iris, standing by a white birch tree.

Iris tells them to go away. She picks up a baseball-sized rock and throws it at Vi, striking her chin. Vi falls back, bleeding. Iris is crouched, making sounds that are more animal than human—deep-throated growls and sobs.

Vi approaches slowly, trying to soothe her, but Iris picks up another rock and swings at her. Vi catches her arm, twists it, and they struggle. Iris is fueled by mad rage and nearly overpowers Vi. They fall to the ground, and Iris pins Vi's wrists.

Iris says, You know what I am. Vi kicks up, flips Iris, and pins her. Face to face, lips nearly touching, Vi says: You're my sister.

Key Events

Vi confesses she lied about not getting into the Inn's basement; she actually found and took notes from B West.
Vi reveals she stopped drinking Gran's special milkshake and advises Iris to fake taking her pills.
Iris reads the folder and realizes she is Patient S, concluding she killed her parents and sister.
Eric's full-moon monster hunt interrupts; Iris goes out despite Vi's objections.
Eric shows footprints by the creek he believes belong to the Ghoul.
Iris disappears and is found by a birch tree, where she attacks Vi with rocks.
Vi pins Iris and declares she is her sister.

Character Development

Vi: This chapter marks a turning point for Vi. She moves from passive observer to active truth-teller, confessing her lie about the basement and sharing the incriminating notes with Iris. Her decision to stop drinking the milkshake and to advise Iris against the pills shows she's willing to defy Gran's control. Her internal conflict—loving and hating Gran simultaneously—shows her moral awakening. In the final confrontation, she refuses to let Iris's violence drive her away, choosing sisterhood over fear.

Iris: Iris's world collapses when she reads the notes. She learns she's Patient S, that she killed her family. The revelation triggers a violent, animalistic breakdown—she attacks Vi with rocks and growls like a beast. This is the monster within made manifest, but it's also a trauma response to learning the truth about her past.

Eric: Eric remains the eager, somewhat naive younger brother, focused on the Ghoul hunt. His belief in the monster is a counterpoint to the real horror the girls are confronting.

Gran (indirectly): Though absent for most of the chapter, Gran's duality is central. She's the nurturing grandmother who sang lullabies and the woman who wrote those notes, who did horrible things to Iris and others. Vi's realization that these are the same person is the chapter's emotional core.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Truth and secrets: The chapter is built on the weight of secrets. Vi's lie about the basement, the notes hidden under the mattress, and the truth about Iris's identity all converge. Vi's internal monologue about the pendulum—swinging back and forth on whether to tell—captures the moral cost of keeping and revealing secrets.

Identity revelation: Iris's discovery that she is Patient S is the chapter's central revelation. It reframes her entire sense of self—she's not just a girl with gaps in her memory; she's someone who killed her family.

The monster within: The Ghoul hunt is a literal monster hunt, but the real monster is revealed to be inside Iris—or rather, the violence and trauma that have been suppressed in her. Her animalistic growls and attacks mirror the very monster they were hunting.

Sisterhood and the promise: Vi's promise to Iris—to find out the truth—drives her actions. The chapter ends with Vi's declaration You're my sister, affirming that their bond transcends the horror of what Iris has learned.

Medical control: Gran's use of medication to sedate Iris and the special milkshake for Vi represent a form of control through medicine. Vi's refusal to drink the shake and her advice to Iris to fake taking pills are acts of resistance against that control.

Duality of Gran: The chapter explicitly contrasts Gran the caregiver with Gran the author of those notes. Vi's love and hate for the same person is a powerful motif.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter delivers the novel's central revelation: Iris is Patient S, and she killed her family. It also marks the point of no return for Vi, who has now committed to the truth and to stopping Gran. The violent confrontation at the birch tree—where Iris attacks Vi and Vi responds with a declaration of sisterhood—is a pivotal moment that redefines their relationship. The chapter sets up the conflict that will drive the rest of the novel: how do you stop a monster when the monster is your grandmother, and how do you love someone who has done terrible things?

Study Questions

1. Why does Vi decide to tell Iris the truth about the basement, despite her fear?

Vi is driven by her promise to Iris. She reflects that promises mean something, and if it were her, she would want to know the truth no matter what. She also recognizes that some secrets are too big to keep, and that she needs to find a way to stop Gran—starting with telling Iris.

2. How does Iris's reaction to learning she is Patient S reflect the theme of the monster within?

Iris's reaction is immediate and physical: she becomes violent, throwing rocks and growling like an animal. This mirrors the Ghoul they've been hunting—the monster is not an external creature but something inside Iris, a trauma response to learning she killed her family. Her attack on Vi shows how the revelation has shattered her sense of self.

3. What does Vi's final declaration—You're my sister—signify in the context of the chapter?

It's a rejection of the idea that Iris is a monster. Despite Iris's violence, despite what she's learned about her past, Vi affirms their bond. It's also a direct counter to the identity Iris has just discovered—Patient S, a killer—and a refusal to let that define her. The declaration is both a comfort and a commitment: Vi will stand by Iris no matter what.