Chapter summaries With a Vengeance Riley Sager

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Stitching Wounds and Facing Ghosts

⚠️ 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

Anna drags Reggie into his room after Judd stabs him. She obtains a sewing kit from Sal and uses vodka to clean the wound, then stitches the gash while keeping up a forced casual conversation. Reggie admits his father was murdered, which drove him to join the FBI in search of justice. He questions Anna’s single-minded focus on vengeance and suggests she has no hobbies or friends. After Anna finishes the stitches, Reggie passes out from pain and alcohol. Needing air, Anna steps into the corridor. The train lights flicker out. In the darkness, a figure appears—her brother Tommy, thought dead. But his smile reveals rotting teeth and blood, and his body appears decayed. Anna screams.

Key Events

  • Anna finds a first‑aid kit and applies gauze to Reggie’s wound.
  • She searches for sewing supplies; Sal provides a tin sewing kit.
  • Anna cleans the wound with vodka and stitches it closed while Reggie drinks.
  • Reggie discloses that his father was murdered; this is why he became an FBI agent.
  • He invites Anna to a musical after the crisis, framing it as a friend date.
  • Anna finishes stitching; Reggie loses consciousness.
  • Anna leaves the room and watches dawn approach through a corridor window.
  • The train lights cut out completely.
  • A figure emerges from the far end of the car—Tommy, Anna’s dead brother.
  • Tommy’s appearance is grotesque: rotting teeth, blood, a body of “blood and bone and sinew.”
  • Anna screams.

Character Development

  • Anna – Desperate and exhausted, Anna performs emergency surgery with no training. Her conversation with Reggie reveals how consumed she has been by revenge (“every thought, every action, every damn minute”). She admits she has no hobbies or friends because she spent the past year preparing for this night. The appearance of Tommy suggests she is now haunted by the very loss she sought to avenge.
  • Reggie – In pain but lucid, Reggie shares a vulnerable piece of his past: his father was murdered, leading him to the FBI. He shows empathy for Anna’s grief while gently challenging her solitary path. His offer of a future outing (a musical) underscores his hope that there might be life after the violence.
  • Tommy (apparition) – Though only seen briefly with terrifying effect, Tommy’s return—even as a hallucination or ghost—deepens the emotional stakes. His “matinee‑idol smile” contrasts with his rotting form, symbolising how the memory of a loved one can become corrupted by trauma.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Vengeance vs. Justice – Reggie wants justice through legal channels; Anna chose personal revenge. Their conversation highlights the conflict between these approaches. Reggie’s own loss makes him empathetic yet firm in his belief that the system should prevail.
  • Family and Loss – The chapter is anchored by two lost fathers (Reggie’s murdered father, Anna’s destroyed family) and concludes with the apparition of Anna’s brother. Grief is the common thread that drives both protagonists.
  • Isolation and Connection – Reggie’s questions about hobbies and friends expose Anna’s self‑imposed isolation. His invitation to a musical suggests a tentative move toward human connection, even amid chaos.
  • Darkness and Light – The flickering and eventual loss of train lights parallel Anna’s mental state. Dawn is near, but the darkness inside the car (and inside Anna) remains threatening. The reappearance of Tommy in the dark literalises the return of repressed trauma.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in Anna’s emotional arc. It provides Reggie with a backstory that makes him a more complex ally rather than a mere obstacle. The emergency stitching scene forces Anna to act as a caretaker, momentarily shifting her from revenge agent to healer. Most importantly, the hallucinated or supernatural appearance of Tommy confirms that Anna’s psychological grip is weakening. Her scream ends the chapter on a note of pure terror, suggesting that the ghosts of her past will not stay buried.

Study Questions & Answers

  1. Why does Reggie choose to share his father’s murder with Anna at this moment?
    He uses his own loss to build a bridge of empathy, hoping Anna will understand that his desire for justice stems from the same pain she feels. It also explains his earlier frustration with her vigilante plan.

  2. What does Anna’s lack of hobbies or friends indicate about her character?
    It shows that her quest for vengeance has consumed every part of her life, leaving no room for normal activities or relationships. Reggie calls this “a sad way to go through life,” highlighting the cost of her obsession.

  3. Is Tommy truly present or is Anna hallucinating?
    The evidence leaves it ambiguous. Tommy’s rotting, blood‑drenched appearance suggests a nightmare vision born of exhaustion and trauma. The story does not confirm whether he is real or a ghost, but the chapter ends with Anna screaming, implying that whatever she saw is profoundly terrifying.

Navigation