Chapter 27 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways
⚠️ 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
The chapter opens with Avery telling Grayson that he can take Eve to Toby's wing, but Grayson refuses, insisting that Avery must honor her earlier promise to show Eve the wing herself. Avery suspects Grayson is headed for the pool, but she packs her satchel and leads Eve to the sealed-off wing.
As they approach, Eve slows down, noticing the rubble from the brick wall that Tobias Hawthorne had erected decades earlier. Avery explains that Tobias closed off the wing the summer Toby disappeared, and that after they learned Toby was still alive, they came back to search for clues. Inside, Avery shows Eve a marble tile that conceals a metal compartment. Engraved on the metal is William Blake's poem “A Poison Tree.” Avery tells Eve that teenaged Toby seemed to identify with the feeling of wrath and the cost of hiding it.
Eve is visibly moved. She kneels, traces her fingers over the poem, and reads it silently. After a long pause, she tells Avery that the description of Toby could have been describing her. She admits she didn't even know Toby liked poetry. Eve then asks what else they found. Avery explains that the poem's title led them to a legal text on Toby's bookshelf, specifically a section on the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine. There, they discovered a coded message—another poem Toby had written before he ran away. Avery recites the poem from memory, which hints at stolen evidence and a hidden location. She trails off at the end, expecting Eve to fill in the word “wall,” but Eve instead asks what evidence Toby stole. Avery guesses it was related to his adoption. She also mentions that Toby kept a journal on his walls written in invisible ink, and that black lights are still in the room from when they read them.
Eve stops Avery from turning on the lights and asks if she can explore the room alone. Avery is surprised but agrees. Eve explains that she never looked like her mother or anyone else in her family. She recounts how her mother kept her hair short in uneven bowl cuts, and later admitted it was because no one else in the family had hair like hers. Eve says no one had her eyes, her features, or her way of thinking. She moved out at eighteen, and later took a mail-in DNA test, but found no matches. Avery gently reminds her that Toby found her, and Eve acknowledges that Toby doesn't look like her either, but that the poem resonated deeply. Avery leaves, thinking about her own mother and the traits she inherited—resilience, a smile, hair color, and a guarded heart that can love fiercely once opened.
Key Events
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Grayson insists Avery show Eve Toby's wing herself, upholding the original promise.
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Avery and Eve enter the sealed wing, passing through rubble from the brick wall Tobias built.
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Avery reveals a marble tile hiding a metal compartment engraved with William Blake's “A Poison Tree.”
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Eve is deeply affected by the poem, saying it describes her own feelings.
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Avery explains the discovery of a coded poem in a legal text about the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine, hinting at stolen evidence related to Toby's adoption.
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Avery mentions invisible-ink journal entries that can be read under black lights.
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Eve asks to explore the room alone, revealing her history of feeling like an outsider in her family and her failed DNA test.
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Avery leaves, reflecting on her own mother and the traits she inherited.
Character Development
Eve shows a vulnerable side for the first time. Her reaction to the poem is visceral—she is speechless, tearful, and deeply moved. Her confession about never resembling her family and her DNA test results reveals a lifelong sense of alienation. This chapter humanizes Eve, shifting her from a mysterious figure to someone searching for belonging. Her request to explore alone shows a need for private connection with Toby's past, suggesting she is genuinely invested in understanding her biological family.
Avery demonstrates empathy and restraint. She honors Grayson's insistence on keeping her promise, and she gives Eve space when asked. Her internal reflection on her own mother highlights her appreciation for the traits she inherited, contrasting with Eve's lack of resemblance to her family. Avery's willingness to let Eve explore alone shows trust and understanding, even though she initially felt a knee-jerk refusal.
Grayson appears briefly but reinforces the importance of promises and boundaries. His insistence that Avery show Eve herself underscores his respect for commitments and his protective nature toward Avery's role in the Hawthorne world.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Family Secrets and Hidden Truths: The sealed wing itself is a physical manifestation of the family's secrets. The rubble from the brick wall symbolizes the attempt to wall off the past, while the hidden compartment and invisible ink represent layers of concealment.
Wrath and Hidden Emotion: William Blake's “A Poison Tree” is a central symbol. The poem explores how suppressed anger can grow into something destructive. Toby's identification with it—and Eve's resonance with it—suggests a shared emotional inheritance, even without physical resemblance.
Identity and Belonging: Eve's confession about not looking like her family and her DNA test with no matches speaks to the theme of identity. She is searching for a place where she fits, and Toby's poem offers a connection that biology did not.
Maternal Inheritance: Avery's reflection on her mother contrasts with Eve's experience. Avery lists the traits she inherited—resilience, smile, hair color, and a guarded heart—while Eve has none of those physical markers. This juxtaposition highlights different ways family shapes us.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens Eve's character and her connection to Toby. It reveals more about Toby's past—his coded messages, his hidden journal, and the stolen evidence—which may become crucial to the larger mystery. Eve's emotional response to the poem suggests she shares a deeper kinship with Toby than mere DNA, which could influence her motivations and alliances. The chapter also reinforces Avery's role as a bridge between the Hawthorne legacy and Eve's search for identity. The revelation about Toby's adoption and the stolen evidence sets up potential plot threads that may be explored in later chapters.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Grayson insist that Avery show Eve Toby's wing herself?
Grayson insists because Avery had made a promise to Eve, and he values keeping promises. He likely also wants to ensure that Avery maintains control over the narrative and the secrets of the wing, rather than delegating that responsibility. His insistence reinforces the importance of personal accountability in the Hawthorne world.
2. What does the poem “A Poison Tree” reveal about Toby's character, and why does it resonate with Eve?
The poem reflects Toby's identification with wrath and the effort it takes to hide intense emotions. For Eve, the description fits her own experience of feeling different and suppressing her true self. The poem becomes a point of connection between them, suggesting that emotional kinship can exist even without physical resemblance.
3. How does Avery's reflection on her mother contrast with Eve's experience of family?
Avery lists specific traits she inherited from her mother—resilience, a smile, hair color, and a guarded heart that can love fiercely. This shows a clear maternal inheritance. Eve, on the other hand, has no physical resemblance to her family and found no DNA matches, leaving her without that sense of biological belonging. The contrast highlights different ways family identity is formed and the pain of feeling like an outsider.