Ask for Andrea

“I wasn’t breathing hard because I wasn’t breathing at all.”

This dramatic quotation occurs when Meghan first realizes that, while she retains consciousness, she has died and left her physical body. Like the other two protagonists, Meghan will navigate the plot in ghostly form. The quotation subverts the typical form of the thriller or murder mystery in that the victims continue to function as protagonists even after their deaths.

“The disturbing truth was, James’s texts were par for the course. I’d heard worse stories from plenty of friends.”

Here, Brecia explains why she wasn’t initially alarmed when James sent her disturbing text messages after she broke up with him. The quotation shows how dangerous trends in how men engage with women (particularly after rejection) lead to normalization and allow a violent man like James to get away with his behavior. Like other women, Brecia no longer has an accurate barometer for danger because frightening behavior has become common.

“He was the kind of beautiful that drew you in before you even considered the fact that beautiful things can be poisonous.”

Brecia thinks this as she contemplates why women are drawn to James’s profile on the dating app. She concedes with regret that James is good-looking and that this renders women vulnerable to his charm and appeal. However, the quotation also makes it clear that James is dangerous despite his seductive qualities.

“It wasn’t like finding out what had happened would bring me back. Even so, I wanted to be found as much as she wanted to find me.”

Skye thinks this as she observes her mother frantically trying to understand how she vanished. At this point, Skye’s parents desperately hope that their daughter is alive, and while Skye knows that this is a futile hope, she wants them to have the closure of knowing what happened to her. While Brecia’s body is found quickly, both Meghan and Skye have to suffer through periods of waiting for their bodies to be located so that their fates can be understood. In light of the fact that her earthly life is over, closure and peace for herself and her family are all that Skye can hope for.

“Because if I didn’t know what he had done—100% for sure, because well, here I was—I never really would have believed he was capable of hurting someone.”

Brecia thinks this while contemplating the frustrating reality that James does an excellent job of concealing his violent intentions, speaking to the theme of The Ability to Hide One’s True Nature. Because Brecia moves in with James after her murder, she has the opportunity to observe him closely and see how effectively he covers up his crimes. She has the chance to see the danger he poses but also sees how almost no one has any sense that James could be dangerous.

“I’d never considered the fact that mourning might go both ways. Instead of mourning one person, I was mourning everyone I had ever cared about.”

Meghan thinks this while she is alone in the woods, waiting for someone to find her body. Of the three protagonists, Meghan is left the most aimless after her death and therefore spends the most time emotionally processing the reality that she will never experience earthly life again. In the quotation, Meghan speaks about the sense of grief and loss that comes with saying goodbye to her life and her future, highlighting the terrible impact that James’s violence has had on his victims and their loved ones.

“Do not keep drinking. You’re not safe. This drink isn’t safe. He isn’t safe.”

Here, Brecia tries frantically to communicate with Nicole, a woman whom James has taken on a date. Brecia knows that James has plans to hurt or potentially kill Nicole but has very limited ability to communicate this danger. The quotation shows the agonizing frustration of Brecia being unable to protect other women, which will come to fruition when she later watches Meghan be murdered. This lack of control speaks to the topic of Agency and Victims of Violence, as the barriers that Brecia faces as a ghost mirror the barriers that female survivors often face in seeking justice.

“It had become my Wilson. It had kept me company here as a castaway for God-knew how long.”

Meghan thinks this when it initially seems that Detective Domanska is going to drive away with her shoe. Because Meghan has been alone in the woods for so long, she has become emotionally attached to inanimate objects; she uses an allusion to the popular film Castaway in which Tom Hanks portrays a man who bonds with a volleyball (nicknamed Wilson) in the absence of any human contact.

“Don’t you listen to any true-crime podcasts? You’re never supposed to get into a car with a stranger if you’re tipsy.”

James says this to Meghan as he coaxes her to let him drive her home. Meghan does not know that James has drugged her, and James persuades her that she will be safer with him than with the rideshare driver she wants to call. The quotation alludes to the popularity of crime stories (which the novel also partially participates in) and shows James’s ability to be cunning and deceptive. He makes it appear as though Meghan will be safer with him, although he is actually the source of danger, speaking to the theme of The Ability to Hide One’s True Nature.

“When I saw her stand up and run, I almost cheered. I know. You’d think I would have understood.”

Brecia thinks this after watching James attack Meghan. Brecia doesn’t initially understand that (like her) Meghan has died but continues to exist in spirit form. The quotation shows Brecia’s sometimes tragic ability to retain hope, which is both a strength and a liability for her character. Brecia has a hard time understanding that James has killed another woman because she has tried so hard to prevent future deaths.

“I was a pretty white girl. And now that I’d been found, the missing persons case turned into a manhunt.”

Meghan thinks this while describing the police activity on her case after her body is finally found. This comment shows how the women’s racial and social identities impact what happens to them even after their deaths, speaking to the theme of Agency and Victims of Violence. The cases are not met with the same level of response, and how actively the police investigate the cases depends on factors such as race and income.

“For all my efforts to stop him, I was powerless. Powerless to stop him. Powerless to leave (I had nowhere else to go).”

This quotation describes Brecia’s despair after she watches James murder Meghan. Brecia is crushed because she could not stop James from killing again and knows that it is likely he will continue to kill. Even facing this terrible reality, Brecia stays with James and his family. This comment potentially mirrors the reality that April is facing—she also can’t leave her husband behind.

“I’d never seen him—or April—drink coffee before. I’d sort of been under the impression that it was against their religion.”

Brecia makes this comment when she first notices the coffee shop at James’s home (from the café where Skye works). The quotation is significant because the cup will later be key to linking James to Skye’s case, and the comment hints that James may be Mormon (adherents to this Christian faith often abstain from alcohol and caffeine). James’s identity as a practicing Christian adds to his hypocrisy and deception but also helps explain why so many people find it unthinkable that he could be a serial killer.

“I told myself it meant nothing. It was a coffee cup.”

Brecia thinks this as she tries to rationalize her instinctual sense that there is something important about the coffee cup. Brecia is correct (the cup is a clue about the burgeoning relationship between Skye and James and the danger she is facing), but she does not trust her own instincts. The quotation shows that there is a deeply ingrained tendency for women to second-guess and ignore their intuitions, and this can lead to dangerous situations.

“In some ways, I felt like I was seeing her for the first time. The way I might have after a few years of college, or maybe after having a baby of my own.”

Here, Skye reflects on the experience of observing her mother while invisible, in spirit form. Skye is able to build a different appreciation for her mother because she no longer relates to her strictly in a parent-child dynamic. This quotation reflects the tragedy that Skye will never be able to have the experience of growing older and maturing; her relationship to her mother only evolves after her tragically young death.

“She looked right at me and whispered, ‘are you dead?’”

Skye narrates this experience of the first time she and Brecia encounter one another. Brecia is stunned to recognize that she and Skye can see one another while they are invisible to everyone living. This quotation marks a key shift in the plot, as after this point, the protagonists will be able to work together and pool their knowledge in order to pursue justice, highlighting The Power of Community Among Women.

“We shouldn’t have come […] whatever’s going to happen, I don’t want to see it.”

Meghan thinks this as the three women accompany James and his family as they flee to the cabin. They can all tell that James is angry and dangerous, and they begin to realize that he may hurt his wife and daughters. Aspects of Meghan’s personality are revealed because she does not think that they will be able to help or intervene, and she simply wants to avoid witnessing any more acts of violence.

“Even in the hours and days after my own murder, as I watched my bones get picked apart by the birds and the coyotes, I didn’t feel anxiety like this.”

Meghan thinks this once the protagonists are at the isolated cabin with James and his family. She is very distressed by the foreboding atmosphere and wants to escape. Meghan has spent the least amount of time exposed to James and has also had the most time to reflect on the possibility of crossing into the spirit world. She feels the most unsettled and the most powerless of the three protagonists.

“He wasn’t like an animal at all […] He killed because he wanted to. Because he felt like it.”

With horror and disgust, Brecia realizes that James is preparing to kill his own children. Brecia reflects that James is even more evil than she initially imagined, and she struggles to comprehend how inhumane he is. The comparison connects to the novel’s use of nature and animal imagery in order to suggest that human beings pose a greater danger than the natural world ever could.

“In a tone that I imagined mothers have used in dire moments for as long as they have gathered their children under their wings when death approached.”

Brecia thinks this when she witnesses April suddenly drop to the ground and bark orders at her daughters. April has heard the sound of James approaching them and urgently needs her children to listen to her. Brecia connects this moment to a timeless maternal instinct to protect children and shows that, despite having been timid and passive for most of the plot, April is able to muster courage and strategic intelligence in order to protect her young children. This also creates a connection between women and the motif of animals and the natural world—a repeated association throughout the novel in which the prey-like nature of women and heightened female intuition is compared to that of animals.

“The scales were tipping. They hadn’t landed yet. But they were tipping, with a little pressure from invisible hands.”

Skye thinks this as she and the other two protagonists begin to hope that April and her children might successfully escape. Against all odds, April and the girls are getting closer to reaching the main road and might be able to secure help. The quotation helps build dramatic tension and shows that, despite all the horrible things that have occurred, the three protagonists still believe in a hopeful outcome.

“He might have to turn on the charm to excuse the domestic kerfuffle. Would anyone see through it? Would anyone try to stop him?”

Skye wonders what will happen if James confronts April and the children in the restaurant. Although they are in a public place with many bystanders around, Skye fears that no one will intervene. She knows that James is an excellent liar and will likely be able to persuade people that he is simply reuniting with his family. The quotation shows the vulnerability of abused women and children and addresses Agency and Victims of Violence: Even if April protests that she is being taken against her will, it is unlikely that anyone will intervene.

“We didn’t look back. He’d taken enough from us in life—and in death, too.”

Skye thinks this as the three protagonists leave James behind while he is being brutally beaten in his prison cell. It is unclear whether James will live or die, and the three women show the same indifference to his fate that he displayed toward the value of their lives. After a long, difficult struggle, the women are able to achieve justice to some degree, even though they can never have their lives back.