Chapter 2 Summary: Strike’s Reluctant Journey to Kent
⚠️ 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
Strike wakes on a sleeper train from Cornwall, already exhausted. His partner Robin is sick with a high fever and cannot accompany him to meet prospective client Decima Mullins – a change that leaves Strike resentful, though he knows he is being unfair. The drive into Kent aggravates the pain in his prosthetic leg. Strike’s mood is worsened by the recent death of his uncle Ted, whom he helped his sister Lucy bury and whose house they cleared. Lucy’s guilt and grief wore on him, and he took only a few mementos. Now, alone in the car, Strike’s irritation grows as he recalls his only phone call with Decima, whom he mentally dismisses as a melodramatic, entitled wife. He arrives at Delamore Lodge through a puddled track, his spirits low.
Key Events
- Strike learns that Robin is too ill to drive him to Kent; Ryan Murphy calls to inform him.
- He sets out alone, his prosthetic hamstring painful from heavy lifting during his uncle’s funeral and house clearance.
- Strike reflects on the ten‑day ordeal: Ted’s second stroke, his death in hospital, and the emotional task of emptying the St Mawes house with Lucy.
- He recalls his only phone conversation with Decima Mullins, forming a negative impression of her as melodramatic and entitled.
- The chapter ends as Strike turns up the track to Delamore Lodge, windscreen wipers still working.
Character Development
- Cormoran Strike: The loss of his uncle – the only true father figure he had – has left him raw. He suppresses his own grief to support Lucy, but the stress seeps into his reactions to Robin’s absence and his prejudice toward Decima. His physical pain (hamstring, prosthesis) mirrors his emotional state. The chapter shows Strike as a man who pushes through duty despite exhaustion and irritation, but also one who harbours unexamined class assumptions.
- Robin Ellacott (mentioned): Although absent, her reliability is underlined: this is her first sick day in six years. Her boyfriend’s call highlights the boundary between her personal and professional life.
- Lucy Strike (in flashback): We see her guilt and her need to control the house clearance. Her weeping and self‑recrimination test Strike’s patience, but he chooses compassion over confrontation.
- Decima Mullins (mentioned): Not yet met in person, but Strike’s mental caricature (wealthy, wronged, demanding) suggests his bias. The chapter primes readers to question his snap judgment.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Grief and physical exhaustion: Ted’s death is the emotional backdrop; Strike’s aching leg and the soporific swish of wipers embody how loss wears him down.
- Duty versus resentment: Strike refuses to cancel the appointment even though he dreads it. His professionalism wars with his irritation, a recurring tension in his character.
- Class and prejudice: Strike’s dismissal of Decima based on her accent and wealth reveals his own biases. The narrative invites us to see these as possible blind spots.
- The epigraph (Housman’s “All’s to do again”): Echoes the futility Strike feels – his efforts in Cornwall (clearing, comforting) feel unfinished, and now he must begin another task with a client he mistrusts.
- Rain and driving: The relentless rain and the lonely, gleaming road isolate Strike, reinforcing his solitary burden. The windscreen wipers’ rhythm becomes a soundtrack to his brooding.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 2 deepens Strike’s interior world at a moment of personal vulnerability. By placing him alone in a car – without Robin’s steadiness – the story forces him to confront his grief and his prejudices before meeting Decima. The chapter also establishes the physical cost of detective work (driving, prosthetics) and hints at the emotional toll that the coming case may exact. The Housman epigram frames the theme of recurring effort and discouragement, which will likely echo throughout the investigation.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why is Strike so reluctant to meet Decima Mullins?
Strike’s reluctance stems from a mix of factors: he is emotionally drained after Ted’s death; he resents having to drive alone; and he has already formed a negative impression of Decima based on her accent and demands. He assumes she is another wealthy, melodramatic wife seeking divorce leverage. -
How does Strike’s grief affect his behaviour in this chapter?
Grief makes him impatient and short‑tempered. He is unfairly annoyed that Robin cannot accompany him, he struggles to tolerate Lucy’s guilt, and he projects his exhaustion onto the new client. His physical pain – a tight hamstring – is a somatic manifestation of his unprocessed loss. -
What does the epigraph by A. E. Housman suggest about the chapter’s themes?
The lines “Ten thousand times I’ve done my best / And all’s to do again” underscore Strike’s sense of futility. He has just laboured through a funeral and house clearance, yet now faces another draining task. The poem resonates with the burden of relentless effort and the feeling that no amount of work leads to lasting resolution.