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Chapter 27: Tony's Recollections and the Return of Zenia

⚠️ 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

Tony recalls how completely Zenia deceived them all, comparing her to a double agent in the war of the sexes, though Zenia fought only for herself. After West leaves Tony for Zenia, Tony locks herself in the bathroom, unable to cry until Roz arrives. Roz moves in to care for Tony, feeding her simple foods and helping her buy a new house. Tony moves into a turret room she treats like a convent, avoiding sleep because of a recurring underwater dream where she sees a figure walking away and hears the word "Reverof." When West returns, abandoned by Zenia, Tony lets him back but feels detached and now sees him as only on loan. Years later, Zenia is back from the dead—or from hiding—and Tony recognizes the hatred in Zenia's eyes. Tony decides she must use cunning to defeat Zenia, and she spends the night in her garden, where West finds her. She lies that nothing is wrong and leads him inside, vowing to protect him.

Key Events

  • Tony reflects on Zenia's nature as a double agent who acted only for pleasure.
  • West leaves Tony for Zenia; Tony locks herself in the bathroom and later considers using her father's pistol.
  • Roz arrives, comforts Tony, and moves in to help her recover.
  • Roz helps Tony buy a new house; Tony views it as a convent for isolation and work.
  • Tony experiences a recurring underwater dream of a figure walking away, ending in choking tears.
  • West returns, physically and emotionally broken after Zenia discards him.
  • Tony takes West back but feels detached, knowing he is only on loan and still addicted to Zenia.
  • Zenia reappears at a bar called the Toxique; Tony sees hatred in her eyes.
  • Tony decides to rely on cunning, playing out war scenarios with her sand-table army.
  • Late at night, West finds Tony in the garden; she comforts him and lies that nothing is wrong.

Character Development

Tony: Moves from devastation to a controlled, cunning posture. She acknowledges her admiration for Zenia's audacity and recognizes her own need for strategic thinking. Her love for West persists but is now tempered by awareness of his vulnerability and her own strength.

West: Appears as a man broken by Zenia, physically and emotionally depleted when he returns. Tony sees him as permanently marked by his addiction to Zenia, like a dog summoned by a whistle.

Zenia: Remains a manipulative force even after death; her return reignites Tony's fear and determination. Tony attributes to her a primal hatred, like the rage of an unborn twin.

Roz: Acts as Tony's caretaker, providing practical help and emotional mothering. Her blunt humor and insistence on moving forward help Tony survive the immediate aftermath.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • War of the sexes / double agent: Tony frames Zenia as a spy who fought for no side but her own, subverting the metaphor of gender war.
  • Cunning vs. strength: Tony concludes that strength alone is useless; she must become cunning like Zenia to anticipate her moves.
  • Addiction: West's dependency on Zenia is compared to an addiction that will never break; even a single sip will bring him back.
  • The underwater dream: The recurring dream of a retreating figure and the backward word Reverof (read "forever" reversed) suggests Tony's subconscious pull toward loss and the past.
  • Spaces of isolation: Tony's turret room and garden serve as refuges but also places of vulnerability; she reflects that houses are too fragile to provide real protection.
  • The gun: Tony almost uses her father's pistol, but sets it aside; later she considers it again, symbolizing the threat of violence that remains unacted upon.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter crystallizes Tony's psychological transformation from passive victim to active strategist. It lays the groundwork for the final confrontation with Zenia by showing Tony's resolved plan to use cunning. The underwater dream deepens the novel's interest in hidden layers of consciousness and the persistence of past wounds. The return of Zenia reopens a wound that Tony believed was safely buried, raising the stakes for the remaining chapters.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. How does Tony's view of Zenia differ from her earlier view in the novel?
    Tony now sees Zenia as a double agent who acted purely for her own pleasure. She feels a grudging admiration for Zenia's daring and lawlessness, even while acknowledging the destruction she caused.

  2. What does Tony's recurring underwater dream reveal about her emotional state?
    The dream shows Tony's subconscious desire to follow a retreating figure (possibly West or Zenia) but being unable to reach them. The word Reverof (forever reversed) suggests an ongoing cycle of loss, and waking up gasping indicates repressed grief.

  3. Why does Tony decide she must "become Zenia" to defeat her?
    Tony realizes she lacks Zenia's raw strength and must compensate with cunning. To anticipate Zenia's moves, she needs to think like her—understanding manipulation, misdirection, and the strategic use of weakness.

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