The Divorce Chapter 59: A Death Threat and a Stuffed Elephant
⚠️ 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
That night, as Ronnie lies in bed next to Jeremy, her phone rings. She answers without thinking because the call comes from an actual number, not a blocked one. The familiar threatening voice hisses that she should be careful going to sleep because the caller will burn down the house with her inside. Ronnie yanks the phone away and the call ends. Jeremy wakes and asks who it was. Ronnie blurts out Naomi’s name. She then admits that she has been receiving such calls for weeks. Jeremy asks to see the phone; the number is now unreachable, and he assumes Naomi used a burner phone. He then hesitates before showing Ronnie a photograph he took. The image shows Dominic’s stuffed elephant—the only keepsake of Ronnie’s dead son—stabbed with a knife and covered in red sauce. Jeremy found the elephant in a drawer at Naomi’s apartment. He says he wanted to spare Ronnie the pain but now believes she needs to understand what Naomi is capable of. He explains that this is why he has been afraid to leave Naomi and why Teddy must be kept away from her. Ronnie stares at the photo, realizing that if she and Naomi were ever alone, Naomi would do much worse to her.
Key Events
- Ronnie receives a fresh death threat by phone from a woman whose voice she recognizes as Naomi’s.
- Jeremy wakes and learns about the weeks-long pattern of threatening calls.
- Jeremy retrieves a photo from his phone showing Dominic’s stuffed elephant vandalised with a knife and red sauce.
- He explains he found the elephant in a drawer at Naomi’s apartment and had kept the photo secret.
- Jeremy states this evidence justifies his refusal to leave Naomi and his determination to keep Teddy away from her.
- Ronnie experiences a visceral fear of what Naomi might do to her in person.
Character Development
Ronnie – She has dropped her guard after a silent period, which makes the new threat more frightening. Her immediate accusation of Naomi shows she has already connected the voice to her sister-in-law. The sight of the mutilated elephant shatters any remaining doubt about the level of malice she faces.
Jeremy – He is portrayed as a gatekeeper of dangerous knowledge. By withholding the elephant photograph until now, he controlled how Ronnie perceived the threat. Revealing it aligns with his stated motive of protecting both Ronnie and Teddy, though it also keeps Ronnie dependent on his judgment.
Naomi (offstage) – Though not present, Naomi is constructed as capable of symbolic violence: destroying a cherished keepsake of a dead child and issuing a death threat. The chapter solidifies her as the primary antagonist.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Domestic Object as Weapon – The stuffed elephant, once a comfort object associated with Dominic, is transformed into a tool of psychological terror. The knife and red sauce mimic a murder scene, linking the threat against Ronnie to the memory of her lost child.
- Surveillance and Secrecy – Jeremy’s secret photograph and delayed disclosure mirror the hidden camera motifs seen earlier in the book. Knowledge becomes a form of control.
- Parental Fear – Jeremy’s explicit reason for staying with Naomi is to keep Teddy safe. The chapter frames parental love as both a motivator for deception and a justification for extreme measures.
- Escalation of Threats – The move from blocked calls to a physical act (damaging the elephant) and a specific fire threat signals that the danger is no longer abstract.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 59 is a turning point in the thriller’s suspense arc. It confirms that the hidden antagonist (likely Naomi) has both motive and capacity for violence. The elephant photograph provides the first concrete evidence of a physical act of malice, raising the stakes from harassment to potential bodily harm. It also forces Ronnie and Jeremy into a shared secret, deepening their alliance while exposing the lengths Jeremy has gone to manage the situation. The chapter tightens the emotional noose by linking the threat directly to Ronnie’s grief over Dominic.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Jeremy show Ronnie the photograph of the elephant only now, rather than earlier?
Jeremy says he wanted to protect Ronnie from distress. His timing – after the death threat – suggests he now believes she needs a concrete reason to fear Naomi, which also justifies his own past decisions to stay close to Naomi. -
What does the mutilation of Dominic’s stuffed elephant symbolise in the context of the chapter?
The elephant represents Ronnie’s only remaining physical link to her dead son. Destroying it symbolises an attack on Ronnie’s maternal identity and memory. The knife and red sauce mimic a violent crime, making the threat feel immediate and personal. -
How does Ronnie’s reaction to the photograph affect her perception of Jeremy?
Ronnie does not question how Jeremy obtained the photo or why he kept it secret. Her shock and fear override critical thinking, leaving her more reliant on Jeremy’s narrative. This may signal either trust or a dangerous complicity in his version of events.