The Sirens Chapter 35 Summary & Analysis
⚠️ 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
Jess wakes at dawn in Cliff House, six months after moving in. She recalls cleaning the house, covering a floor hole with a tarp, and finding no traces of her parents. She avoided townspeople except Ryan and her shopkeeper neighbour Melody. After an anniversary prompted a lasagne visit, Jess revealed she is painting women as a summoning – but struggles to capture the iridescent scales. Melody later confided her own experience in the cave, but Jess hasn’t visited it. A phone call with her mother on Lucy’s eighteenth birthday reaffirmed their plan to keep Lucy’s adoption secret, fearing it would crush Lucy’s journalist dreams. At Christmas, Lucy’s enthusiasm convinced Jess to maintain the façade. Jess’s longing to hear the women’s voices again drove her to buy Cliff House. Now, a voicemail from Cameron – the teacher with whom she had a past relationship – alerts her that he is in trouble and en route. A Google search reveals sexual assault allegations against him at his school. This triggers memories: the Sydney hospital, parents at court, a social worker’s words, and Jess’s fear of holding baby Lucy. She recalls her own transformation in the cave and wonders if it was real. She begins sketching sea-creature versions of the women and incorporates a preserved snakeskin into her canvas, finally finishing the painting for her upcoming exhibition. She dismisses Cameron as a ghost and feels safe and alone.
Key Events
- Jess reflects on her six-month stay at Cliff House, her isolation, and her attempt to paint the women as a summoning ritual.
- She recalls her conversations with Melody, who shared her own cave experience.
- Jess remembers the phone call with her mother about keeping Lucy’s adoption a secret, and the Christmas visit where Lucy’s passion for journalism solidified that decision.
- A voicemail from Cameron reveals he is in legal trouble and coming to see her.
- Jess searches online and learns he faces sexual assault allegations, forcing her to reconsider their past.
- Memories of the hospital, social worker, and her inability to care for Lucy resurface.
- Jess begins drawing the women as scaled, webbed creatures and incorporates a snakeskin into her painting, completing it.
- She falls asleep believing Cameron won’t arrive and that she is safe alone.
Character Development
Jess
Jess’s internal conflict deepens: she wants to reconnect with her past through the women’s voices yet remains terrified of the truth about Lucy. Her art becomes a lifeline – a way to summon meaning. The voicemail from Cameron forces her to confront unresolved trauma, and for the first time she explicitly questions whether their relationship was assault. Her decision to finish the painting with the snakeskin represents a tentative act of self-acceptance, but her final thought – “alone, and safe” – underscores her retreat into isolation.
Melody
Though not physically present in this chapter, Melody’s influence is felt through Jess’s memory of their conversation. Melody’s openness about the cave and her own loss creates a bond, but Jess still cannot reciprocate with the full truth.
Cameron
Offstage, Cameron becomes a symbol of Jess’s buried trauma. The sexual assault allegations reframe their past relationship, and his voicemail – using the nickname “Jessie” – reveals his manipulative familiarity. He appears as a threat Jess hopes to outrun.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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The snakeskin as transformation and identity
Lucy’s childhood question – “Can I grow a new skin too?” – echoes Jess’s own shape-shifting in the cave. Incorporating the actual snakeskin into the painting connects the physical to the mythological, suggesting that shedding an old self is both painful and necessary. -
The unfinished painting as unattained belonging
Jess cannot finish the painting until she captures the iridescent scales, which represent the women’s otherworldly nature and, by extension, her own lost heritage. Once she adds the snakeskin, she feels complete, suggesting that embracing her strange history is the key to wholeness. -
Silence and sound
Jess’s longing for the women’s voices (“that sweet sound of belonging”) contrasts with the silence of Cliff House. The sea’s murmur is ever-present, but the voices remain absent until her art is completed. -
Secrecy and protection
The motherhood theme deepens: Jess and her mother decide to keep Lucy’s adoption secret to “let her be happy.” This mirrors Jess’s own parents’ earlier deception, trapping Jess in a cycle of protective lies.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 35 is a turning point in Jess’s arc. It crystallizes her motives for returning to Cliff House – not only to escape but to summon the women and understand her origins. The Cameron revelation forces her to re-examine her adolescence and the sexual dynamics that shaped her. Her decision to finish the painting with the snakeskin signals a breakthrough in her art and her self-acceptance. At the same time, her choice to remain isolated, hoping Cameron won’t appear, sets up the tension for the chapters ahead: can she truly stay safe, or must she confront the past she has buried?
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Jess decide not to tell Lucy the truth about her adoption?
Jess believes that revealing the truth would destroy Lucy’s passion for journalism and her joyful future. She projects her own childhood pain onto Lucy, fearing that knowledge of the lie will break something fundamental in her. Jess also understands her own parents’ choice for the first time, recognizing that she now has “her own façade to maintain.”
2. What does the snakeskin represent in Jess’s painting and her personal journey?
The snakeskin, given to Jess by Lucy years ago, symbolizes the possibility of transformation—shedding an old skin to reveal a new one. By incorporating it into the canvas, Jess physically melds her daughter’s curiosity with her own need to capture the women. It allows her to finally complete the painting, representing a tentative embrace of her own mutable, supernatural identity.
3. How does Jess’s memory of the social worker’s words affect her relationship with Lucy?
The social worker’s accusation – “Your actions placed your child at risk of serious harm” – instills in Jess a deep fear that she is cursed or broken. This leads her to physically avoid holding Lucy, to hide in her bedroom, and ultimately to leave the childcare to her parents. The shame and guilt persist, making Jess believe she is unworthy of being Lucy’s mother.