The Little Liar Chapter 37 Summary – Postcards from the Past

⚠️ 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

Fannie enters a hat shop on East Twenty-Third Street in New York City. Only a middle-aged woman is inside—the Hungarian actress who saved her on the Danube in 1944. Fannie addresses her in Hungarian, and the woman reacts with hostility. Fannie explains she is searching for the boy who dressed as a German officer that night, known as Nico. The actress denies knowing him but repeatedly asks who Fannie is with.

Fannie breaks down, recounting how someone risked their safety to save her. She insists it was the actress. The woman eventually admits it was her money that paid for the rescue. She retrieves a yellowed list of twenty-three names, including Fannie’s. Fannie learns that after the war, fourteen of those names (now fifteen with her) received anonymous money every year on August 10th—the same day Fannie’s friend gets his payment. The actress also takes out a stack of movie-premiere postcards sent to her for years without a return address. She reveals the boy she knew was not Nico but Erich Alman, a brilliant multilingual youth who helped hide her valuables. She gives the postcards to Fannie, suggesting that finding the filmmaker who produced those movies will lead to the boy.

Key Events

Fannie walks into a hat shop and recognizes the actress who saved her on the Danube.
The actress initially denies involvement, but Fannie presses her.
The actress reveals she paid money to spare twenty-three people, including Fannie.
She shows Fannie the original list with twenty-three names; Fannie finds her own.
The actress describes the annual payments sent to survivors on August 10th.
She brings out a bundle of movie-premiere postcards sent by the boy she knew as Erich Alman.
She gives the postcards to Fannie and advises her to find the filmmaker.

Character Development

Fannie Nahmias – This chapter shows Fannie’s courage and emotional vulnerability. She confronts a powerful, guarded woman and persists until she gets the truth. Fannie’s tears reveal the lasting trauma of the war, but also her gratitude for being allowed to grow up, marry, and have a child.

The actress – The shop owner is revealed to be the anonymous savior of twenty-three Jews. She is bitter and guarded, having paid a price for sparing lives. Her lower lip trembles when she hears Fannie’s story, showing the weight of her past. Her decision to hand over the postcards indicates a willingness to help Fannie, even though she remains wary.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

The price of life – The actress says, “There is a price for everything. A price you pay for someone’s life to be spared. And a price you pay for sparing it.” This underscores the chapter’s central moral dilemma.
Anonymous benevolence – The annual payments on August 10th come from an unknown source, representing enduring, secret care for survivors.
Memory and testimony – Fannie’s recounting of the death march to Austria moves the actress, showing how bearing witness can affect even the most hardened listener.
Identity and disguise – Nico was called Erich Alman; the actress herself hides behind a cold exterior. Names and roles shift, highlighting how people reinvent themselves after trauma.
Postcards as clues – The unaddressed movie-premiere postcards become symbolic breadcrumbs leading to a deeper truth.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 37 is a pivotal turning point. It resolves the mystery of who saved Fannie on the Danube, confirming that the actress paid for the release of the group. More importantly, it forges a direct link between the boy Nico and the film industry. The actress reveals that the boy she knew—Erich Alman—sent postcards from movies, suggesting he may have become a filmmaker. This gives Fannie—and the reader—a concrete path to finding him. The chapter also deepens the theme of hidden acts of kindness and the long shadows of war.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does the actress initially deny knowing the boy Nico?
She is wary that Fannie is part of some investigation or revenge plot. The actress has survived by keeping her past secret, and she tests Fannie’s sincerity before revealing any information.
What does the list of twenty-three names reveal about the actress’s involvement?
It proves she personally paid to rescue a specific group of Jews. The list shows the birth dates of all twenty-three, including Fannie’s name with her birth date (2/12/1930). It also becomes the basis for the ongoing payments to survivors.
How do the postcards point toward Nico’s identity after the war?
The actress identifies the sender as Erich Alman, a boy she knew who was clever and multilingual. The postcards are movie-premiere announcements, sent for years without a signature. She speculates that he entered the film industry, and that finding the filmmaker will lead to the boy Fannie remembers.