Chapter 35 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ 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

Chapter 35 opens immediately after the violence of the previous chapter. Juanca and the narrator drive away from the hills where bodies lie scattered in the darkness. Juanca's phone map shows no roads, yet he navigates with apparent certainty, suggesting he knows this terrain intimately or is following instinct rather than technology.

The narrator breaks the silence with questions, acknowledging that he knows questions can get people killed but insisting he needs answers before they return to Austin and never speak of these events again. Juanca responds with a question of his own, asking whether answers will actually help the narrator sleep or whether knowing how Brian planned to kill him will make Brian's ghost haunt him less. The narrator clarifies that he does not need to know anything about Brian—he wants to know how they will prevent anyone from coming after them for what they did with the photographs.

Juanca's response is blunt: they cannot guarantee no one will come, but they can vanish. He explains that if anyone comes looking, they will come for him, and he will not be there. He plans to head north with his mother, Amá, change his appearance by cleaning his face and growing his hair out, and leave this life behind entirely.

The narrator has one more question, pressing himself against his seat and feeling the reassuring weight of the gun against his tailbone. He asks about Vázquez's partner, La Reina. Juanca's jaw tightens, and he corrects the narrator: La Reina is not the new partner. The narrator is confused, having been told the partner was a woman. Juanca confirms the partner is a woman but not La Reina—it is Gloria.

The narrator flashes back to the image of the bruja sucking on Rodolfo's bloody mouth and vomiting into the air, and bile rises in his throat. He cannot make sense of it. Juanca reveals that Gloria is only one of her names. When pressed for the others, Juanca hesitates, saying the narrator will not believe him. The narrator insists, and Juanca tells him: El Chamuco.

The narrator asks if Gloria is the devil. Juanca clarifies: Gloria is a devil. The Devil is everywhere, and sometimes it gets inside people. It is inside Gloria. The narrator points out that she is a woman, and Juanca explains that she is an old woman who dealt with the wrong things as a bruja and got a demon inside her. He challenges the narrator to doubt it after everything he has seen.

The narrator remembers Gloria bucking with her feet off the ground, the thing that came out of her toothless mouth, and Brian struggling to hold her down. He looks out at the darkness and thinks about Rodolfo, who was half man and half demon. He believes Juanca—it is impossible not to, and he already knows the devil is everywhere. He closes his eyes and wishes Juanca would take them home safely.

Key Events

Juanca and the narrator drive away from the hills where bodies lie, with Juanca navigating despite no roads appearing on his phone map.
The narrator asks how they will prevent retaliation for their actions with the photographs.
Juanca admits they cannot guarantee safety but plans to vanish—heading north with Amá, changing his appearance, and leaving the criminal life.
The narrator asks about Vázquez's partner, La Reina, and Juanca corrects him: the partner is Gloria, not La Reina.
Juanca reveals Gloria's other name: El Chamuco, explaining she is an old woman possessed by a demon through her bruja dealings.
The narrator recalls Gloria's supernatural behavior and Rodolfo's half-demon nature, and accepts the explanation.
The narrator closes his eyes, hoping Juanca will get them home safely.

Character Development

Juanca: This chapter reveals Juanca's exit strategy. He is done with the violence and the criminal life, planning to vanish with his mother. His anger is palpable—the narrator can feel it pulsating behind his clenched jaw—but his resolve is clear. He is also the bearer of dark knowledge, revealing the true nature of Vázquez's partner.

The narrator (Brian): The narrator's need for answers outweighs his fear of asking questions. He wants to understand the threat they face, even as Juanca warns that answers may not bring peace. His acceptance of Gloria's demonic nature shows how far he has come from any ordinary worldview—he has seen too much to doubt.

Gloria: Though not present in this chapter, Gloria is redefined through Juanca's revelation. She is not merely a bruja but a vessel for a demon, an old woman who dealt with the wrong forces and paid the price. Her name El Chamuco reframes everything the narrator witnessed earlier.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The devil's omnipresence: Juanca's statement that the Devil is everywhere and sometimes gets inside people reinforces the novel's central supernatural premise. The devil is not a distant figure but an invasive presence that can inhabit anyone.

Demonic possession: Gloria's possession is explained as the result of her bruja dealings—a cautionary tale about engaging with forces beyond human control. Rodolfo's half-demon nature is recalled as corroborating evidence.

Escape and vanishing: Juanca's plan to disappear—heading north, changing his appearance, leaving the life behind—reflects the theme that survival may require total erasure of one's identity.

The cost of violence: The narrator's body is crusted with other people's blood, a visceral reminder of the physical and psychological toll of the violence they have committed.

The burden of knowledge: Juanca's question—whether answers will help the narrator sleep—suggests that knowing the truth may be a curse rather than a comfort.

The threat of retribution: The narrator's fear that someone will come for them after what they did with the photos underscores the ever-present danger of the criminal world they are trying to escape.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 is a pivotal moment of revelation and resolution. It confirms the supernatural stakes of the novel by explicitly identifying Gloria as El Chamuco, a demon-possessed bruja, and connecting her to the devil's omnipresence. It also establishes Juanca's exit plan, setting up the possibility of escape from the violence that has defined the narrative. The chapter deepens the narrator's character by showing his willingness to confront terrifying truths and his growing acceptance of the supernatural. Finally, it leaves the reader with a sense of uncertainty—Juanca's plan to vanish is not a guarantee of safety, and the threat of retribution looms.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Juanca say they cannot guarantee no one will come after them, and what is his plan instead?

Juanca admits that they cannot prevent retaliation for what they did with the photographs. Instead of trying to eliminate the threat, he plans to vanish: he will head north with his mother, Amá, change his appearance by cleaning his face and growing his hair out, and leave the criminal life behind. He accepts that if anyone comes looking, they will come for him, but he will not be there.

2. What is the significance of Gloria being revealed as El Chamuco?

The revelation that Gloria is also called El Chamuco—the devil—transforms her from a mysterious bruja into a demonic presence. Juanca explains that she is an old woman who dealt with the wrong forces as a bruja and got a demon inside her. This confirms the novel's supernatural framework and connects Gloria to the devil's omnipresence, suggesting that evil can inhabit ordinary people.

3. How does the narrator's reaction to Juanca's revelation show his character development?

The narrator initially struggles to accept that Gloria, an old woman, could be a devil. But after recalling her supernatural behavior—bucking with her feet off the ground, the thing that came out of her toothless mouth, and Brian struggling to hold her down—he believes Juanca. His acceptance, along with his recollection of Rodolfo's half-demon nature, shows that he has moved beyond skepticism and now operates in a world where the supernatural is real.