Chapter 38: A Mother’s Dark Advice – The Divorce
⚠️ 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
Naomi spends a sleepless night, eventually crying in Teddy’s room and falling asleep in his bed. She wakes near lunchtime without a car, remembering Jeremy’s business trip to Boston. The reminder triggers intense worry about who is watching Teddy—especially the possibility that Veronica might be alone with him. Naomi calls her mother, who listens as she describes the affair and the disturbing information she uncovered about Veronica. Unlike Ezra, her mother takes the threat seriously. She tells Naomi there is a simple way to reclaim her family: get rid of the other woman. When Naomi asks how, her mother evades a direct answer, hints at past help she gave, and says Naomi must handle it herself. The conversation leaves Naomi with a cold realization: she will do whatever it takes to protect Teddy.
Key Events
- Naomi wakes in Teddy’s bed after a night of crying and restless sleep.
- She finds a phone reminder for Jeremy’s trip to Boston.
- Naomi panics over who is caring for Teddy during Jeremy’s absence—fearing Veronica.
- She calls her mother, who listens to the full story about Veronica.
- Her mother advises that the only way to stop the divorce is to “get rid of” Veronica.
- When Naomi presses for a method, her mother deflects, saying she helped with a similar problem long ago but cannot now.
- Naomi resolves to protect Teddy from Veronica.
Character Development
- Naomi: Moves from helpless grief to a more determined, protective state. Her mother’s words push her toward a darker mindset, prioritizing Teddy’s safety over all else.
- Naomi’s Mother: Revealed to be both supportive and dangerously pragmatic. Her cough implies failing health, but her mind remains sharp. She hints at a past intervention on Naomi’s behalf, suggesting a history of using ruthless solutions.
- Jeremy: Absent from the chapter, but his trip creates the crisis that drives Naomi’s action.
- Veronica: Not seen, but Naomi’s fear of her grows; she is now viewed as a direct threat to Teddy.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Maternal Protection: Naomi’s instinct to shield her son overrides her earlier passivity. The chapter frames motherhood as a force that can justify extreme measures.
- The Mother as Manipulator: Naomi’s mother represents a legacy of pragmatic, even amoral problem‑solving. Her advice to “get rid of” the other woman echoes past dark choices.
- Isolation: Naomi is physically and emotionally alone; she has no car, no allies (except a morally ambiguous mother), and fear that the legal system has already turned against her.
- Suggestion of Violence: The phrase “get rid of” is left deliberately vague, but the context implies removal by any means, possibly including harm.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a turning point in Naomi’s arc. External pressure—the arrest, the loss of custody—combines with her mother’s explicit encouragement to push her from victimhood toward potential action. The hint that her mother once “helped” her out of a situation plants a seed about Naomi’s own past. Readers begin to question how far Naomi will go and whether the story is leading toward a violent confrontation with Veronica.
Study Questions and Answers
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What triggers Naomi’s panic about Teddy’s safety?
A phone reminder of Jeremy’s business trip to Boston makes her realize he will be out of town, leaving Teddy unsupervised or in Veronica’s care. -
How does Naomi’s mother respond to the news about Veronica?
She takes it seriously, says she told Naomi so, and advises that the simplest solution is to remove Veronica from the picture. -
What does Naomi’s mother imply about her own past actions?
She says she “can’t fix this for you anymore” and “helped out a long time ago,” suggesting she once solved a similar problem for Naomi.