Chapter 24 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

Geraldine returns to the shed with her belongings and organizes them, finding the task soothing after an upsetting day. As she works, she replays Tara's promise that everything would be fine. She notices Eddie arriving home, dropped off by Lorraine, but waits before going inside because Tara had asked her to make sure he was alone.

Her caution proves warranted. A dark SUV pulls up and a large, official-looking man in a jacket and tie enters the house. Shortly after he leaves, Brian Nolan arrives. Geraldine ducks beneath the window to avoid being seen. She recalls Tara's sad declaration that the only way things could work was if she left, and remembers how defeated her sister looked. Around two o'clock, Brian finally drives away, and Geraldine goes inside.

Eddie is at the kitchen table, clearly strained and fighting a headache. He asks where she's been, then cuts to the real question: what's going on with the missing money at Bertucci's? The police told him the stolen money ended up in Tara's account. Geraldine initially plays dumb, but Eddie presses her, saying Tara could go back to prison. Geraldine pushes back, reminding him that Tara earned her prison sentence for drug trafficking.

Eddie then reveals the truth: he was the trafficker, not Tara. She took the blame to keep him safe and to keep him with Conor. Geraldine is stunned—she never knew. Eddie explains they kept it from her because it would have put her in a position where she'd have to lie, including to Conor. But Geraldine understands the deeper reason: they didn't trust her with the secret because she was so rule-bound.

Eddie has already told Brian the truth, and he looks relieved rather than worried. Geraldine feels a swell of emotion, seeing her little brother in him despite his gruff exterior. She reflects that maybe breaking the rules is sometimes the right thing. Eddie says Tara is out there trying to help Geraldine out of some mess, and Geraldine's eyes sting with the realization that Tara has given up everything to take care of her family.

Judy's words echo in Geraldine's mind about the sacrifices she made for Eddie and Tara. She retrieves her old dance class photo—a symbol of everything she lost: her mother, her father, her security, and gradually choir, dance, and her friends, because she had to watch her siblings and work weekends. She would do it all again because she loves them, but she recognizes she became rigid out of fear of making mistakes and losing people. Judy wanted her to have compassion for herself—and for Tara.

Eddie looks at the photo and reveals that Tara used to make him walk into town just to watch Geraldine practice at the studio. His smile fades as he asks if she knows where Tara is. Geraldine tells the truth: she doesn't. Eddie is disappointed.

Geraldine considers what she can do to help Tara. She could follow Eddie's lead and tell the truth, but she's scared of arrest, of Taconic, of shame. Yet she remembers how her collecting secret came out and wasn't as bad as she feared—Eddie and Tara didn't disown her, and Judy didn't lock her up. She realizes the shame of letting everyone believe Tara stole the money would be worse. This is her chance to save Tara.

She sets the photo back on the mantel and asks Eddie to come with her to talk to Mr. Bertucci.

Key Events

Geraldine organizes her belongings in the shed and recalls Tara's promise
A mysterious official-looking man visits Eddie, followed by Brian Nolan
Eddie confronts Geraldine about the missing money found in Tara's account
Eddie reveals he was the drug trafficker; Tara took the blame to protect him and keep him with Conor
Geraldine learns why Eddie and Tara kept the secret from her
Geraldine reflects on her own sacrifices while looking at her dance class photo
Eddie shares that Tara used to watch Geraldine practice dance
Geraldine decides to tell the truth and asks Eddie to accompany her to Mr. Bertucci

Character Development

Geraldine undergoes the most significant shift in this chapter. Throughout the novel she has been the rule-follower, the one who values order and control. Here she confronts the cost of that rigidity: she nearly let Tara take the blame and return to prison just to preserve her orderly life. Her reflection on the dance photo and Judy's words helps her see that her strictness stemmed from fear of losing people. Her decision to tell the truth to Mr. Bertucci marks a turning point—she chooses family over rules, following Eddie's example.

Eddie is also revealed in a new light. The confession that he was the trafficker reframes his character: his gruff exterior and protective instincts toward Tara now make sense. His relief after telling Brian the truth suggests he's been carrying this burden for years. His gentleness with Geraldine—sharing the memory of Tara watching her dance—shows his softer side.

Tara, though absent, looms large. The chapter deepens our understanding of her sacrifice: she went to prison for Eddie, and now she's left to protect Geraldine. Her promise that everything will be fine takes on new weight.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Sacrifice for family: The chapter centers on the sacrifices each sibling has made—Tara's imprisonment for Eddie, Geraldine's lost childhood, Eddie's burden of guilt.
Truth-telling and confession: Eddie's confession to Brian and Geraldine's decision to tell Mr. Bertucci the truth form the chapter's moral arc.
Family secrets: The revelation that Eddie and Tara hid the truth from Geraldine—and why—shows how secrets protect and wound.
The dance photo as symbol: It represents Geraldine's lost dreams and the person she was before her parents died and she took on caretaking responsibilities.
Breaking rules vs. following rules: Geraldine's realization that breaking the rules can be the right thing is the chapter's thematic hinge.
Control and rigidity: Geraldine's fear-driven need for control is exposed as a threat to her relationships.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is the chapter where the novel's central secret is finally revealed: Eddie, not Tara, was the drug trafficker. It reframes everything readers thought they knew about Tara's imprisonment and Eddie's guilt. It also completes Geraldine's character arc, moving her from rigid rule-follower to someone willing to break rules for family. Her decision to confess to Mr. Bertucci sets up the climax of the novel and gives Tara a chance at redemption. The chapter also deepens the theme of mutual salvation—the fairy tale Eddie references where they all save one another.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why did Eddie and Tara keep the truth about the drug trafficking from Geraldine?

They said it was to protect her from having to lie to people, including Conor. But Geraldine recognizes the deeper reason: they didn't trust her with the secret because she was so concerned with following rules. Her rigidity made her an unreliable confidante.

2. What does the dance class photo represent for Geraldine?

It's a symbol of everything she lost after her parents died. She quit choir, dance, and her friends to watch Eddie and Tara and work weekends. The photo represents her lost childhood dreams and the sacrifices she made for her family, which she says she would make again.

3. What prompts Geraldine to decide to tell the truth to Mr. Bertucci?

She remembers how her collecting secret came out and wasn't as bad as she feared—her family didn't reject her. She realizes the shame of letting everyone believe Tara stole the money would be worse than the shame of confessing. She sees this as her chance to save Tara, just as Tara saved Eddie.