Chapter summaries The Last Devil To Die Richard Osman

Chapter 55 Summary: “Chapter 54” – Joyce’s Farewell to Stephen

⚠️ 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

Joyce narrates the aftermath of a lunch Elizabeth organised with various criminals, including Mitch Maxwell and Luca Buttaci. The purpose was to “shake the tree” and see who acts next. After the lunch, Elizabeth announces she will be unreachable for a few days, claiming business. Joyce suspects Elizabeth is actually taking Stephen to a care home. Her suspicion is reinforced when she remembers seeing Anthony the hairdresser visiting Elizabeth’s block – a rare house call. At the funeral of Snowy the fox, a large crowd gathers, and Stephen appears in public for the first time, arm in arm with Elizabeth. He greets everyone fondly, and Joyce notices his hair is immaculate. She concludes that Anthony prepared Stephen for his departure. Joyce reflects on grief and decides to respect Elizabeth’s privacy while promising to be there for her.

Key Events

  • Elizabeth hosts a lunch at Coopers Chase with unsavory characters: heroin dealers Mitch Maxwell and Luca Buttaci, Samantha and Garth from Petworth, and Nina Mishra.
  • Joyce notes the lunch’s goal was not to learn anything but to unsettle the group – Elizabeth’s phrase: “Let’s see who kills whom next.”
  • After the lunch, Elizabeth tells Joyce she will be out of circulation for a couple of days.
  • Joyce recalls seeing Anthony the hairdresser making a house call to Elizabeth’s block, which is unusual because he never does house calls.
  • The residents bury Snowy, a fox with white-tipped ears, in a biodegradable wicker basket. Bogdan dug the grave.
  • Stephen attends the funeral, publicly for the first time in a long while. He walks arm in arm with Elizabeth and greets everyone warmly.
  • Stephen calls Ibrahim “Kuldesh,” Ron a “West Ham man,” and says “It’s Joyce. There she is.”
  • Joyce realises that Elizabeth is finally letting Stephen go to a care home; Anthony’s visit was to make Stephen look his best.
  • Joyce decides not to intrude, acknowledging that grief is a solitary journey.

Character Development

  • Joyce: Shows perceptiveness and emotional maturity. She suppresses her natural curiosity to respect Elizabeth’s privacy. Her reflection on losing Gerry reveals her enduring pain.
  • Elizabeth: Demonstrates profound love and painful pragmatism. She orchestrates the criminal lunch as a distraction while privately preparing to say goodbye to Stephen.
  • Stephen: Makes a poignant public appearance at Snowy’s funeral. Despite his condition, he recognises his friends and shares affectionate moments, particularly with Ibrahim and Ron.
  • Bogdan: Digs Snowy’s grave “nice and deep,” with a touch of dark humour from the narrator about his recent grave-digging experience.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Grief Rides Alone: Joyce’s recognition that she cannot help Elizabeth navigate this loss mirrors her own experience with Gerry. The chapter underscores the solitude of mourning.
  • Community and Shared Memory: Snowy the fox belonged to everyone in the village, each with a different name for him. The funeral unites people, showing how collective rituals help process loss.
  • Appearances and Love: Anthony’s house call to style Stephen’s hair symbolises Elizabeth’s desire to honour Stephen’s dignity. The “immaculate” hair becomes a quiet testament to care.
  • Waiting and Letting Go: Elizabeth’s strategy of “giving them enough rope” parallels her own need to release Stephen. Both involve patient trust in an uncertain outcome.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the emotional fulcrum of Stephen’s storyline. After weeks of his absence, Joyce’s narration confirms what readers may have suspected: Elizabeth is preparing to place Stephen in a care home. The fox’s funeral acts as a gentle prelude to a human farewell. Joyce’s introspective tone also deepens our understanding of her character, showing her capacity for both empathy and restraint. The chapter bridges the criminal subplot (the lunch) with the novel’s heart – the bonds that survive even when memory fades.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Elizabeth host a lunch with criminals and then go “out of circulation” immediately after?
    Elizabeth uses the lunch to provoke the suspects into revealing themselves. Her disappearance is not part of the plan but a cover for the personal task of taking Stephen to a care home. By shaking the tree, she hopes the criminals will make mistakes while she attends to her private crisis.

  2. What does Snowy’s funeral reveal about the Coopers Chase community?
    The funeral shows that the residents share a hidden world of tenderness. Each had a secret name for the fox, and the large turnout proves their interconnectedness. The ceremony also signals that even small losses are honoured, foreshadowing how they will handle Stephen’s departure.

  3. How does Joyce reconcile her desire to help Elizabeth with her need to respect boundaries?
    Joyce initially feels at a loose end and considers inserting herself into the romance-fraud plan. But after seeing Stephen at the funeral, she understands that Elizabeth’s grief is personal. She resolves to bake for the boys and wait, knowing that love “always finds a language” – and that sometimes the best support is silent presence.

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