Chapter 60: Ada Accardi’s Shocking Confession
⚠️ 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
Ada Accardi, eleven years old, opens the chapter by listing basic facts about herself: her name, her age, her black hair and brown eyes, her nine-year-old brother Nicolas, her bilingualism, her favorite foods, and her favorite book. Then she confesses that she killed her next-door neighbor, Jonathan Lowell, and states that she is not sorry.
The Accardi family is moving the next day. Ada’s parents are excited about the new house, but Ada does not want to leave her friends, her familiar apartment, or even the cracked ceiling she named Constance. She shares a room with Nico, separated by a curtain. Unable to sleep, she whispers to Nico and discovers he is also awake. They talk about their reluctance to move. Nico suggests the new house might be awful enough that their parents would want to return, but Ada doubts it because the house was expensive. She corrects Nico’s confusion between “mortgage” and “garage” even though she doesn’t fully understand the term either.
Ada asks if she can pull open the curtain, and Nico agrees. She rolls out of bed, opens the curtain, and waves to her brother. She then recalls the day Nico came home from the hospital as a newborn. Despite her mother’s doubts that she could remember, Ada insists she does: she held him on her lap, supported his head, and told him she loved him. The chapter ends with Ada thinking she will miss having her brother as a roommate.
Key Events
- Ada Accardi announces that she killed Jonathan Lowell and feels no remorse.
- The family is moving to a new house the next day.
- Ada lies awake in the shared bedroom, staring at a ceiling crack she calls Constance.
- She whispers to her brother Nico; both are awake and unhappy about the move.
- They discuss the move, with Ada explaining that the new house was expensive and they are stuck there until college.
- Ada pulls open the curtain separating the beds and waves to Nico.
- She recalls holding newborn Nico in her lap and telling him she loved him.
- Ada concludes that she will miss sharing a room with her brother.
Character Development
- Ada Accardi: A precocious and emotionally detached eleven-year-old. She admits to murder without guilt, showing a chilling lack of empathy. Yet she displays deep affection for her brother and nostalgia for her home. Her two sides—unrepentant killer and loving sister—create a disturbing contradiction.
- Nicolas Accardi: Nine years old, he shares Ada’s reluctance to move and serves as her confidant. He is more socially adaptable than Ada, but their bond is close. He trusts her completely, as shown by agreeing to open the curtain.
- Jonathan Lowell: The deceased neighbor is never described beyond his name, making him a symbol rather than a developed character. His murder is the catalyst for the chapter’s shock value.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Childhood innocence corrupted: Ada’s voice is that of a typical child—she likes macaroni and cheese and cookie dough ice cream—yet she commits murder without guilt. The contrast underscores how her perspective defies adult expectations.
- The curtain as a boundary and a link: The curtain separates Ada and Nico’s beds, symbolizing both the privacy Ada’s parents impose and the closeness she preserves by opening it. It is a physical representation of their sibling bond.
- The ceiling crack “Constance”: Ada names a familiar crack in the paint. This personification of an inanimate object reflects her need for comfort and consistency in a life about to change drastically.
- Forced relocation as loss of control: Ada’s powerlessness over the move mirrors her prior act of taking control through violence. She cannot choose where she lives, but she did choose to end a life.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter delivers the book’s most shocking twist: the killer is an eleven-year-old girl who feels no remorse. It reframes events from earlier in the novel and forces readers to reconsider all interactions with Ada’s family. It also deepens the emotional stakes by showing Ada’s genuine love for her brother, making her both monster and child. The impending move adds a layer of unresolved tension—will Ada’s crime catch up with her in her new home?
Study Questions
-
Ada says she is “not sorry” for killing Jonathan Lowell. What might the author be suggesting about Ada’s capacity for empathy?
Ada’s lack of remorse indicates either a sociopathic tendency or a belief that her action was justified. The text does not reveal Jonathan’s behavior, leaving room for interpretation about whether he provoked her. -
How does Ada’s memory of holding newborn Nico function in the narrative?
It humanizes Ada immediately after her confession, reminding the reader that she is still a child capable of love. The memory creates a emotional counterweight to the coldness of her confession. -
Why is the detail about the curtain significant in this chapter?
The curtain represents the fragile boundary between Ada’s violent inner life and her protective relationship with Nico. By opening it, she symbolically chooses closeness over isolation, suggesting she still values family despite her moral detachment.
Navigation
Previous Chapter: Chapter 60 | Next Chapter: Chapter 62 | Back to Book Hub