Verity Chapter 9: So Be It — 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

In Chapter 9 ("So Be It"), Verity begins her autobiography by describing her obsession with physical fitness and her belief that the body is a machine that must be maintained. She contrasts her own discipline with her mother's laziness, and she reveals that she has not spoken to her mother in years.

Verity recalls discovering she is pregnant soon after her engagement to Jeremy. She is initially happy because Jeremy is happy, but by the third month she becomes disgusted by the small pooch on her stomach. She vows to work out three times a day and contemplates delivering early to avoid the worst physical damage. Jeremy finds her admiring herself in the mirror and tells her she looks beautiful — a lie she appreciates. They have sex, and afterward Jeremy insists on feeding "his girls," treating the pregnancy as though the baby is already a person. Verity is repulsed by his attention to the fetus.

At the second doctor’s visit, they learn Verity is carrying twins — both girls. Verity is devastated; she no longer wants to be the third most important thing in Jeremy’s life. During the fourth month, she begins hoping for a miscarriage. She takes sleeping pills and drinks wine when Jeremy isn’t looking, trying to harm the babies. In the fifth month, during sex, Jeremy feels the twins move and immediately stops to press his ear to Verity’s stomach. He tells Verity he loves the babies more than he loves her — a comment that crushes her. When Verity asks if that’s true, he says yes, explaining that love for children is unconditional while love for a partner is conditional. Verity disagrees but says nothing. She excuses herself to the bathroom, where she attempts to abort the twins with a wire hanger for half an hour until she bleeds. She then returns to bed, hoping to wake Jeremy with the blood and finally make him cry for her — something he has never done.

Key Events

Verity explains her philosophy of the body as a machine and her disgust at her mother’s neglect.
Verity discovers she is pregnant; she is happy only because Jeremy is happy.
At three months, Verity is horrified by her small belly and plans to deliver early.
Jeremy tells Verity she looks beautiful; they have sex.
Jeremy begins doting on the baby, calling it “his girls” and feeding it.
At the second doctor’s visit, Verity learns she is carrying twin girls.
Verity grows resentful and hopes for a miscarriage.
She secretly takes sleeping pills and drinks wine to harm the fetuses.
During sex at five months, Jeremy feels the twins move and stops to focus on them.
Jeremy admits he loves the twins more than he loves Verity.
Verity attempts a self-abortion with a wire hanger, causing cramping and bleeding.
Verity returns to bed, wanting Jeremy to wake up and cry for her.

Character Development

Verity: This chapter reveals Verity’s extreme narcissism, body dysmorphia, and lack of maternal instinct. Her obsession with being Jeremy’s sole focus drives her to attempt murder of her own unborn children. The reader sees her capacity for manipulation and cruelty, as well as her deep-seated need for attention and love.
Jeremy: He is portrayed as an attentive, loving partner who adores his future children. His declaration that he loves the twins more than Verity exposes a fundamental mismatch in their relationship: Jeremy’s love is already focused on the babies, while Verity sees them as rivals.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The Body as Machine: Verity’s opening monologue frames the physical body as a machine that must be maintained. This motif recurs in her obsession with exercise, her disgust at pregnancy’s changes, and her willingness to “break” the machine (the twins) to preserve her own desirability.
Jealousy and Rivalry: Verity treats her own children as competitors for Jeremy’s affection. The twins become symbols of everything she fears losing — Jeremy’s attention, her physical perfection, and her status as the center of his world.
Love as Conditional: Jeremy states that romantic love is conditional, while parental love is unconditional. Verity’s actions contradict this — she does not love her children unconditionally and instead sees them as threats.
Violence and Self-Destruction: Verity’s attempt to abort the twins with a wire hanger is a stark act of violence against herself and her children. It parallels her earlier admission that she would “destroy the things that were going to push him away.”
The Wire Hanger: A powerful symbol of desperation and illegal abortion, the wire hanger underscores Verity’s willingness to go to extreme lengths to reclaim Jeremy’s sole focus.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 9 is a turning point in the manuscript — it reveals the depth of Verity’s psychosis and her capacity for harm. Until now, the autobiography has shown her coldness and ambition; here, she crosses a moral line by attempting to kill her twins. The chapter also solidifies the central conflict of the manuscript: Verity’s inability to share Jeremy’s love. For readers of the novel, this chapter provides crucial context for the tragedy that follows — the deaths of the twins and Harper — and raises questions about Verity’s reliability as a narrator. On a thematic level, it challenges traditional notions of motherhood and love, showing a woman who feels no maternal bond and is willing to destroy her family to preserve her relationship.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Verity decide to attempt an abortion, and what does her method reveal about her state of mind?
Verity attempts the abortion because she believes the twins are stealing Jeremy’s love from her. She cannot bear being “the third most important thing.” Using a wire hanger — a dangerous, painful method — shows that she is desperate, reckless, and willing to risk her own health to remove the threat. It also reflects a lack of concern for her own well-being as long as the babies are gone.
What does Jeremy’s statement that he loves the twins “more than anything” reveal about the couple’s relationship?
Jeremy’s honest answer damages the romantic balance in the marriage. He sees parental love as unconditional and superior, while Verity craves the kind of unconditional devotion he gives to the children. His comment exposes a fundamental incompatibility: Jeremy has already shifted his primary emotional investment to the twins, while Verity still expects to be Jeremy’s everything.
How does Verity’s philosophy of the body as a machine conflict with the reality of pregnancy?
Verity believes she can control her body through discipline and maintenance. Pregnancy disrupts that control — it changes her shape, causes cravings, and creates a life she cannot entirely manage. Her attempt to “break” the machine (by aborting) is an extreme response to losing control. The chapter suggests that her worldview cannot accommodate the unpredictability and sacrifice inherent in having children.