Chapter 3 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

Chapter Three opens on June 16, 2019, with Jackie preparing to leave Seattle on a 7:30 a.m. flight. Before she departs, she ties up loose ends: she asks her neighbor Lucy to water her plants and collect her mail, cancels her therapy clients for the week and refers them to Karen Hurst, the therapist she shares office space with, and leaves a voicemail for her father, Ted, whom she hasn't spoken to in weeks. She also calls Barbara, a friend, and confesses that she didn't pick up the phone when her sister called. Barbara reassures her that she can't blame herself, and tells her that "grief is a monster"—a phrase that sounds exactly like something Lexie would say.

Sitting with all the lights on, drinking the last of a pot of coffee, Jackie thinks about Lexie and the silly rhyming songs they made up as children. She recalls a song about a creature called a Zax—a monster that, once you meet it, changes you forever. The memory is vivid, and Jackie shakes it off, half expecting to see something behind her.

Before leaving for the airport, Jackie does the one thing she has been putting off all night: she plays the fourteen voicemail messages Lexie left her. The messages are nothing like the playful childhood songs. Instead, Lexie's voice is frantic and tangled, reciting letters, numbers, and distances as if they form some kind of code. She mentions "H9" and specific measurements in meters, insisting that the numbers don't lie and that this is the scientific method. The messages grow increasingly desperate and angry, with Lexie accusing Jackie of ignoring her and demanding that she pick up the phone. The final message is whispered and tearful; Lexie says, "She's here, Jax."

Key Events

Jackie arranges for her neighbor Lucy to water plants and collect mail, and cancels her therapy clients, referring them to Karen Hurst.
She leaves a voicemail for her father, Ted, asking him to call her back.
She calls Barbara and admits she didn't answer the phone when Lexie called; Barbara tells her not to blame herself and says "grief is a monster."
Jackie recalls a childhood rhyme about a creature called a Zax, which Lexie described as the worst sort of monster—one that changes you forever.
She plays all fourteen voicemail messages from Lexie, which are coded and frantic, referencing "H9" and distances in meters.
The messages become more desperate and angry, accusing Jackie of ignoring her.
The final message is whispered and tearful, with Lexie saying that someone is there with her.

Character Development

Jackie is shown as a professional therapist who is organized and responsible—she cancels clients and makes arrangements before leaving. But her emotional state is fragile. She has been avoiding her sister's calls, and the guilt weighs heavily on her. Her confession to Barbara reveals that she knows, logically, that she shouldn't blame herself, but she can't stop the feeling. Her memory of the Zax song shows a deep connection to Lexie's childhood imagination, and the way she half-expects to see something behind her suggests that grief is making her feel haunted. Playing the messages is an act of delayed confrontation; she has been putting it off all night, and the experience is overwhelming.

Barbara serves as a grounding presence. She offers practical advice—take things slow, give yourself permission to feel—and her phrase "grief is a monster" resonates with Jackie because it echoes Lexie's way of speaking. This suggests that Barbara knows Lexie well or that the sisters share a particular worldview.

Lexie is present only through her recorded voice, but the messages reveal a great deal. She is frantic, obsessive, and convinced that something important is happening—something that can be measured and proven. Her shift from coded recitations to angry accusations to a tearful whisper shows a person in escalating distress. The final message, with its whispered "She's here," introduces a mysterious presence that will likely drive the plot forward.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Grief as a monster: Barbara's phrase "grief is a monster" is echoed in Jackie's memory of the Zax—a creature that changes you irreversibly. The chapter links the emotional weight of loss to a tangible, threatening force.
Guilt over missed calls: Jackie's confession that she didn't pick up the phone becomes a central source of guilt. The voicemail messages are a physical reminder of her failure to respond, and the chapter emphasizes the weight of that silence.
Childhood imagination (Zax): The Zax rhyme is a symbol of the sisters' shared past and of Lexie's creative, playful mind. It also foreshadows the idea of an encounter that leaves you "never the same," which may apply to the events at the story's core.
Obsessive research and the scientific method: Lexie's messages reference "H9" and distances in meters, and she invokes the scientific method. This suggests she is engaged in some kind of investigation or measurement, possibly related to a mysterious phenomenon.
Communication breakdown: The chapter is built around missed calls, voicemails, and a failure to connect. Jackie's avoidance and Lexie's desperate attempts to reach her highlight a rift in their relationship.
Mysterious presence: The final message—"She's here"—introduces an unnamed presence that is likely supernatural or otherwise unexplained, setting up the central mystery of the novel.
Irreversible change: The Zax song's warning that "there's no going back" resonates with the idea that grief—and whatever Lexie has encountered—cannot be undone.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes the emotional and narrative stakes for the rest of the novel. It introduces Jackie's guilt and her complicated relationship with Lexie, and it plants the seeds of the central mystery through the coded voicemail messages. The reference to "H9" and specific measurements suggests that Lexie was investigating something concrete, and the final whispered line creates a sense of dread. The chapter also deepens the theme of grief as a transformative, monstrous force, linking Jackie's personal loss to the larger story. By the end of the chapter, the reader understands that Jackie is not just traveling to deal with a death—she is walking into a situation that may be far stranger and more dangerous than she expects.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Jackie feel guilty about not answering the phone, and how does Barbara respond?

Jackie feels guilty because she didn't pick up when Lexie called, and she believes this contributed to her sister's distress. Barbara tells her she can't blame herself and advises her to take things slowly and allow herself to feel whatever emotions come up. Barbara's phrase "grief is a monster" echoes Lexie's way of speaking, which suggests a shared understanding between the sisters and their friend.

2. What do the voicemail messages reveal about Lexie's state of mind?

The messages show Lexie in escalating distress. She begins by reciting letters and numbers—"H9" and distances in meters—as if she is trying to communicate a code. She becomes more desperate and angry, accusing Jackie of ignoring her. The final message is whispered and tearful, with Lexie saying that someone is there with her. This progression suggests that Lexie was frightened, obsessive, and possibly in danger.

3. How does the childhood Zax rhyme connect to the chapter's themes?

The Zax rhyme is a symbol of the sisters' shared imagination and of Lexie's playful creativity. But the rhyme also describes a monster that changes you forever—"there's no going back." This connects to the theme of grief as a monster and to the idea that certain encounters, whether with loss or with the mysterious presence Lexie mentions, are irreversible. The rhyme foreshadows the transformative and possibly supernatural events that may be central to the story.