Verity Chapter 35: “Dear Jeremy” – Summary and 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

Chapter 35 is a letter Verity writes to Jeremy, hoping he will find it before she escapes with their son Crew. She explains that the manuscript he read was never a confession; it was an exercise called “antagonistic journaling” taught by her editor Amanda. In that exercise, Verity would write about real milestones from her life but deliberately inject a villainous inner monologue to improve her ability to craft dark characters.

She admits that after Harper’s accidental drowning, she typed a fictionalized version of that day as a way to release her grief and guilt. The entire manuscript, she insists, was written as therapy—never intended to be read or believed. When Jeremy discovered it, he flew into a rage, choked her until she passed out, bound her, and tried to stage her death as a suicide by driving her car into a tree. The plan failed; Verity survived with injuries. To protect herself from being convicted of murder based on her own words, she pretended to remain in a vegetative state. She has been secretly planning an escape with Crew, using advances for the book series that Lowen is ghostwriting. The letter closes with Verity pleading for understanding and stating that she still loves Jeremy despite everything.

Key Events

Verity describes the dinner in Manhattan where Amanda introduced the concept of antagonistic journaling.
She explains how she used the exercise for milestone moments—proposal, pregnancy, childbirth—and grew better at inhabiting a villain’s perspective.
After Harper’s death, she wrote about the drowning in that same fictionalized voice, never intending it to be real.
Jeremy found the printed manuscript and reacted with rage, choking Verity unconscious.
He then bound her hands and feet, taped her mouth, and drove her to a remote spot, planning to make her death look like a car accident. She woke up in the passenger seat without a seatbelt.
The crash failed to kill her; she spent weeks in a coma and then months pretending to remain severely brain-damaged out of fear.
Verity covertly opened a new bank account and has been waiting for the series royalty payments so she can flee with Crew.
She admits to hearing Jeremy having sex with Lowen and feels angry but also sees it as an opportunity to write this letter undetected.
She hides the letter in the room, hoping Jeremy will find it one day and understand her side.

Character Development

Verity: In this chapter, Verity reveals herself as a calculated survivor. She is capable of prolonged deception, yet she frames her actions as a mother’s desperate need to protect her child. Her explanation of the manuscript suggests a deep understanding of the craft of writing and how easily a fictional voice can be mistaken for truth. She also shows lingering affection for Jeremy, despite his attempt to kill her.
Jeremy: Though not directly present, Jeremy’s character is illuminated through Verity’s account. He is portrayed as a grieving, betrayed husband whose protectiveness for his children transformed into violence. His decision to read the manuscript—when he had never read her other work—underscores his suspicion and grief.
Lowen: Mentioned only in passing, Lowen becomes an obstacle for Verity: she found the printed manuscript, and her presence with Jeremy advances the emotional wound for Verity.
Crew: The five-year-old son is the driving force behind Verity’s plan. His existence gives her the will to escape; she believes he knows she is still present in her mind.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Perception vs. Reality: The entire chapter hinges on the gap between what the words of the manuscript appear to mean and what Verity claims they actually represent. It forces the reader to question which narrative to trust.
Writing as Therapy vs. Weapon: Verity’s explanation of antagonistic journaling illustrates how the same act of writing can be a therapeutic outlet or, when misinterpreted, a tool for destruction. Jeremy’s reading of the manuscript weaponized her private exercise.
Guilt and Blame: Verity accepts responsibility for Harper’s accidental drowning but denies intentional harm. Her guilt is real, yet she is forced to defend against a misinterpretation of that guilt.
Deception as Survival: Verity’s faked brain injury is a survival tactic, raising questions about the lengths a person will go to when cornered by a false accusation.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 35 serves as the emotional and narrative fulcrum of Verity. It offers a direct refutation of the manuscript that readers (and Jeremy) spent most of the book believing. By presenting Verity’s voice—calm, articulate, and wounded—Colleen Hoover reopens the central question of the novel: Is Verity a monster or a victim? This chapter also provides the backstory for Verity’s condition, explaining why she has remained in a catatonic state and why Crew has been sleeping in her room. Additionally, it recasts Jeremy’s earlier behavior as menacing rather than merely grieving, deepening the moral ambiguity. The threat of Verity’s escape looming over the end of the book makes this chapter a turning point that recontextualizes everything that came before.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What is “antagonistic journaling,” and how does Verity claim she used it?
Antagonistic journaling is a writing exercise Verity’s editor taught her: write about real events from your own life but deliberately insert a dark, villainous inner monologue that contradicts the character’s true feelings. Verity says she applied it to milestones like her first meeting with Jeremy, their proposal, and the birth of their children. She insists the disturbing accounts in the manuscript were purely fictional and intended to help her write more convincing villains—not confessions of real intent.

2. Why does Verity fake her brain injury, and what is her ultimate plan?
After the car crash, Verity realizes that if she recovers, Jeremy will either kill her again or turn the manuscript over to the police, who would likely charge her with murder. She pretends to remain unconscious in the hospital and later acts catatonic at home to buy herself time. Her plan is to secretly transfer royalty money from the book series into a new account and then flee the house with Crew, destroying the manuscript if possible.

3. How does this chapter change the reader’s understanding of Jeremy’s character?
Before this chapter, Jeremy is generally seen as a grieving father and a loving partner to Lowen. Verity’s letter reveals that when he believed the manuscript was true, he flew into a violent rage, choked her unconscious, bound and gagged her, and attempted to murder her by staging a car accident. This makes his protective love for his children a potentially dangerous, obsessive force. The chapter forces readers to reassess whether Jeremy is truly a good man or someone capable of vigilante justice.