Chapter 59: Polly Faces the Cost of Hank’s Decision
⚠️ 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
Polly returns home from the pharmacy with antibiotics and syringes for Tegan, feeling optimistic that the medication will heal Tegan’s infection and keep their plan intact. But she immediately notices the front door is unlocked—something she is certain she locked. Panic sets in when she sees the basement door is also open. Rushing downstairs, she finds the hospital bed empty. Tegan is gone.
After a frantic search, Polly finds Hank standing in the living room. He admits calmly that he took Tegan to the hospital. Polly explodes, accusing him of destroying their only chance to have a child—Tegan was meant to be the surrogate for their baby. Hank insists that Tegan was too sick and needed proper care. Polly locks herself in the bedroom, refusing to speak to him. Hank lingers outside, worried she might harm herself. She eventually opens the door and pretends to be calm, telling him she’ll be fine. But inside, she is already planning to “make things right” as soon as he leaves the house.
Paraphrased from the evidence, this chapter marks a critical fracture: for the first time in twelve years, Polly feels pure hatred toward the man she once adored.
Key Events
- Polly arrives home to find the front door unlocked and the basement door open.
- She discovers Tegan is no longer in the basement.
- Hank confesses that he drove Tegan to the hospital.
- Polly screams at him, calling it a betrayal and the end of their chance to become parents.
- She remembers falling in love with Hank on their first date and contrasts that with her current hatred.
- Polly locks herself in the bedroom; Hank refuses to leave, threatening to call 911.
- She opens the door and feigns composure, telling him she’s fine.
- Hank says he will call Dr. Salinsky and a lawyer.
- Once alone, Polly resolves to “make this right”—implying a dangerous plan.
Character Development
Polly This chapter exposes the depths of Polly’s desperation and her capacity for hatred. Previously presented as a devoted wife who rationalized kidnapping Tegan as a means to have a family, she now sees Hank as a traitor. Her memories of their first date highlight how much she has changed—the loving, dreamy woman is gone, replaced by someone willing to destroy everything. Her final words to herself reveal that her promise to “make this right” is not about reconciliation but about fulfilling her own agenda, likely harming herself or others.
Hank Hank emerges as a quiet moral actor. Though he participated in keeping Tegan captive, he ultimately chooses Tegan’s life and health over his wife’s obsessive plan. His calmness and refusal to leave Polly, even when she locks him out, show a protective instinct—but also a deep fear of what Polly might do. He is no longer the easygoing husband Polly admired; he is now an obstacle.
Tegan (off-screen) Though not present in the chapter, Tegan’s rescue is the catalyst for the entire confrontation. Her removal from the basement shifts the balance of power and forces Polly to confront the consequences of her actions.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Betrayal and Trust The chapter’s emotional core is the collapse of trust between Polly and Hank. Polly feels betrayed not only because Hank took Tegan to the hospital, but because he did so without consulting her. She interprets his decision as a rejection of their shared dream. The locked doors—first the front door, then the basement door, then the bedroom door—symbolize the barriers Polly uses to control her world and the barriers that are now breaking down.
Motherhood and Desperation Polly’s fixation on Tegan as “our only chance to be a mother” underscores her extreme maternal desire. The fact that she refer to Tegan as “our baby” reveals how deeply she has deluded herself. Hank’s choice to prioritize Tegan’s health over this dream forces Polly to confront her own failure to become a mother—a failure she blames entirely on him.
Appearance vs. Reality Polly puts on a mask of calm to get Hank to leave, but her internal monologue shows rage and determination. This theme runs throughout the chapter: the outward appearance of a normal home (unlocked door, quiet living room) hides the crime beneath, and Polly’s composed face hides her violent intentions.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 59 is the turning point of the novel’s third act. It removes the central victim (Tegan) from Polly’s control, thereby dismantling the core kidnapping plot. The chapter forces the reader to see Polly without the filter of her own justifications—she is now a woman who admits she hates her husband and plans to do something drastic. Hank’s decision to defy Polly also complicates any simple view of him as merely complicit. This chapter sets up the final confrontation: Polly is alone in the house, and the reader senses that her “making it right” will lead to either suicide, escape, or further violence.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Polly feel that Hank’s decision is a betrayal of their entire relationship?
Polly believes that having a child together—using Tegan as a surrogate—was the only way to complete their family after years of infertility. In her mind, Hank’s choice to save Tegan’s life destroys that dream. She also recalls that she fell in love with Hank precisely because he made her feel wonderful; his independent action now makes her feel worthless and abandoned.
2. How does the author use locked doors to reinforce Polly’s psychological state?
The unlocked front door and open basement door immediately signal loss of control. Later, Polly locks the bedroom door to exclude Hank, but he remains a shadow beneath it. The doors represent both Polly’s attempt to maintain control over her space and her eventual isolation. When she unlocks the door to pretend she is fine, she symbolically reopens herself to deception.
3. What does Polly mean when she thinks, “It was up to me to make our family complete, and I failed miserably”?
She internalizes the infertility as her personal failure—the doctors said Hank’s sperm count was normal. This guilt, combined with her failed kidnapping, makes her feel that she has nothing left. Her plan to “make this right” may be an attempt to redeem herself in her own eyes, even if that means self-destruction.