Chapter 13 Summary – The Sirens
⚠️ 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
Exhausted after a sleepless night, Lucy reads more of Jess’s diary. She finds no further sleepwalking references but notes Jess’s one-to-one art lessons with Mr Hennessey, covering history and theory. Lucy reflects on the lionfish drawing her father found, feeling sorrow that Jess had outgrown his help. She also dwells on her own painful past: Ben shared a nude photo Lucy sent him, and her friend Em downplayed the betrayal. Lucy feels shame, loneliness, and anger—at Ben, Em, and even at Jess for not being there.
Moving through the living room, Lucy studies the painting of sisters walking into the sea toward the Naiad, focused on their interlinked hands. She then reads about convict transportation, horrified to learn about the treatment of female convicts: the night of disembarkation when male convicts were set loose on them, the “female factories,” and the Female Register created by Reverend Samuel Marsden that divided women into “wives” or “concubines.”
Lucy walks to Devil’s Beach to find the memorial for the Naiad shipwreck. There she meets a man named Ryan Smith, who tells her his father was a local history buff who helped erect the memorial. Ryan reveals that the memorial was controversial; many locals are superstitious about the wreck and claim to hear women’s voices from the waves at night. He also mentions that he was a fisherman and that he saw things he can’t explain. As they part, Ryan says his father used to say “the sea gives, but it also takes.” Walking back, Lucy realizes Ryan is the brother of Daniel Smith, who disappeared in 1981, and was on the fishing boat that discovered Baby Hope.
Key Events
- Lucy spends the night reading Jess’s diary and researching the Naiad and convict history.
- She reflects on her trauma with Ben and her friend Em’s dismissive reaction.
- She examines the painting of the sisters and feels the phantom sensations of the drowning women.
- She travels to Devil’s Beach and reads the memorial inscription.
- She meets Ryan Smith, who shares local superstitions about the shipwreck and hints at his own disturbing memories.
- Lucy deduces Ryan’s connection to the missing men and Baby Hope.
Character Development
Lucy: Her character deepens as she confronts personal shame and anger, not only about Ben but also about Jess’s absence. She shows empathy for her father and historical understanding of the convict women. Her ability to draw people out in conversation is noted—she sees this as a skill shared with her mother.
Ryan Smith: Introduced as a grieving son and local with insider knowledge, Ryan carries the weight of his brother’s disappearance and his father’s obsession. His warnings about the town’s superstitions add a layer of unease.
Jess (offstage): Through Lucy’s reading, Jess is revealed as a talented artist who kept secrets from her family, including extra lessons with Mr Hennessey and her invitation to Ryan for the exhibition.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The sea as giver and taker: Ryan’s father’s saying encapsulates the dual nature of the ocean—it both sustains and destroys, as seen in the drownings and the discovery of Baby Hope.
- Trauma and the body: Lucy’s reaction to her own violation (the shared photo) parallels the historical violation of female convicts, who were categorised and abused. Both are forms of objectification.
- Story vs. truth: The locals’ superstitions about voices from the waves and the podcast’s scepticism highlight the tension between lived experience and official explanations.
- Phantom limb sensation: Lucy feels the presence of the drowned women even while awake, suggesting a visceral connection across time.
- Hands and connection: The interlinked hands in the painting symbolise an unbreakable bond, contrasting with Lucy’s loneliness.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is pivotal because it introduces a key witness—Ryan Smith—whose family history is directly linked to the Naiad and the disappearances. His testimony about the controversial memorial and local superstitions validates Lucy’s growing sense that something unnatural is at work. It also deepens the historical parallel between the Naiad’s female convicts and the present-day women (Lucy and Jess) who feel haunted. Lucy’s personal trauma with Ben is woven into the larger theme of female exploitation, making her investigation personal.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does Lucy learn about the treatment of female convicts, and how does it affect her?
Lucy discovers that after disembarkation, male convicts were let loose on women, that “female factories” allowed men to select convicts as servants or wives, and that Reverend Samuel Marsden created a register dividing women into “wives” or “concubines.” She is horrified, and the historical abuse resonates with her own experience of being shamed and objectified.
2. Why does Ryan say the memorial was controversial?
Ryan explains that locals are superstitious about the Naiad and don’t want reminders of the drownings. Some claim to hear women’s voices from the waves at night. Ryan himself has seen things he can’t explain, and his father’s memorial effort was met with resistance.
3. How does this chapter connect Lucy’s personal history to the larger mystery?
Lucy’s trauma from Ben sharing her photo—a breach of trust and violation of her body—parallels the historical objectification of convict women. Her anger and shame motivate her to uncover the truth about Jess and the Naiad, and the phantom sensations she feels link her directly to the drowned women.