Chapter 22: Summary, Key Moments, and What It Means for the Connellys

⚠️ 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

After learning from Eddie that Geraldine called in sick and missed their session with Judy, Tara drives straight home, hoping to find her sister. She searches the house—Geraldine's room, Tara's old room, the basement—but finds no one. As she heads back outside, she notices a path of flattened grass leading to the old shed at the edge of the yard. Inside, she discovers Geraldine hiding among hoarded boxes, plastic bins, and a mountain of clothes. Geraldine claims she's not feeling well and says she's sorting donations, but Tara presses her about missing work at Bertucci's.

Geraldine grows defensive, lashing out at Tara's relationship with Brian, calling him a cop who could ruin everything. Tara senses that Geraldine's fear is about more than Brian's profession. When Tara asks if Geraldine did something at work, Geraldine breaks down and confesses: she took nearly twenty-five thousand dollars in quarterly tax money from the Bertucci account and hid it in Tara's old bank account, planning to return it within a couple of weeks. But the IRS called, Mr. Bertucci discovered the money missing, and the police visited the office. Geraldine has been staying home out of fear.

Tara is stunned. She knows the legal stakes—grand larceny in the third degree carries two to seven years, and more for someone with a record. She also realizes that Geraldine first skipped work last Friday, meaning the police have been investigating for days. Tara imagines Brian hearing about this and wonders if he'll believe her. She feels the weight of her past catching up with her, remembering Rudy Russo's warning that you can't escape your past.

Tara decides she won't let Geraldine go to prison, but she also refuses to go back herself. She instructs Geraldine to stay in the shed, deny any knowledge of the money, and only come out for Eddie. Tara packs a backpack with random clothes and eighteen dollars, then drives away, planning to flee far and fast. As she drives, she grieves Brian, knowing she's leaving him behind.

Key Events

Tara returns home and searches for Geraldine, eventually finding her hiding in the shed.
Geraldine deflects Tara's questions, then lashes out about Brian's presence in their lives.
Under pressure, Geraldine confesses to stealing nearly $25,000 in tax money from Bertucci's account and hiding it in Tara's old bank account.
Geraldine reveals that the IRS called, Mr. Bertucci discovered the theft, and police visited her office.
Tara realizes the police are already investigating and that the money will likely be traced to her account.
Tara decides to flee rather than let Geraldine go to prison or return to prison herself.
She instructs Geraldine to stay hidden and deny knowledge of the money, then packs a bag and drives away.

Character Development

Tara undergoes a significant shift in this chapter. She begins by reflecting on Eddie's earlier criticism that she doesn't let others carry their own burdens. She defends her past choices—protecting Eddie from prison—but also recognizes that her family's pattern of secrecy has shaped her. She wants a clean, honest relationship with Brian, yet she's still keeping secrets. When Geraldine confesses, Tara's protective instinct kicks in, but this time she refuses to sacrifice her own freedom. Her decision to flee is both selfless and self-preserving: she saves Geraldine from prison but also avoids returning herself. The chapter ends with her grieving Brian, showing that her flight comes at a deep emotional cost.

Geraldine is revealed as more fragile and desperate than Tara had understood. Her confession exposes her lifelong fear of making mistakes, rooted in her role as the responsible sibling who feared losing the house, food, or custody of her younger siblings. Her hoarding is shown as a coping mechanism, a way to control something in a world that feels threatening. When Tara promises she won't go to prison, Geraldine's relief is visible, but she also accepts Tara's plan, showing her vulnerability and dependence.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Family secrets and dishonesty: The chapter underscores how the Connellys have hidden their problems for years—their mother's illness, their father's theft, and now Geraldine's embezzlement. Tara reflects that they are still