The Breakdown

“For the hundredth time, I find myself wishing that Rachel and Matthew liked each other more.”

Because The Breakdown is narrated from Cass’s point of view, the reader has access only to Cass’s perception of reality. This allows the author to mislead readers without violating their trust, using false bits of information, or red herrings. Cass thinks Matthew and Rachel don’t get along, so she’s unlikely to suspect that they’re having an affair and scheming against her. Her belief makes the truth less apparent to readers, thereby maintaining mystery and suspense.

“I know it’s stupid but I feel as if it’s my fault she’s dead. Tears prick my eyes. I can’t imagine the guilt ever going away and the thought of carrying it around with me for the rest of my life seems too high a price to pay for a moment’s selfishness. But the truth is, if I’d bothered to get out of my car, she might still be alive.”

Like Cass’s fear of dementia, her guilt over Jane’s death is a crucial factor in the circumstances that make her vulnerable to gaslighting. Guilt is also a meaningful character trait that creates depth and complexity in the story’s protagonist. Additionally, Cass’s interaction with Jane just before Jane’s death and Cass’s guilt over it prompt a central conflict that shapes the plot and her character arc.

“And awful to think of her killer being out there somewhere. I don’t want to worry you, Cass, but your house must only be a couple of miles from where she was killed and, well, it is a bit isolated, stuck down the end of the road by itself.”

Rachel says this to Cass the day after Jane’s death. She’s stoking Cass’s fear—a rational fear that she and Matthew will try to convince Cass is irrational. The isolation of Cass’s home, and the way Rachel and Matthew use it against Cass, is part of what makes setting such an important aspect of the story. Isolation is a conventional and effective way to create an atmosphere that evokes fear and suspense.

“There wasn’t anybody watching me, it was only my guilty conscience at doing something secretive that made me think that there was.”

Cass often tells small lies to avoid burdening or angering Matthew. She lied to Matthew about being on Blackwater Lane, so now she can’t let him know she has information about Jane for the police. When she senses someone watching her at the pay phone as she calls in her anonymous tip, she rationalizes it as paranoia stemming from this dishonesty.

“I want to believe more than anything that the salesman tricked me into it. But when I think back to when we were in the kitchen together, I realize that I don’t remember very much at all—except at the end when he handed me the brochure and assured me that my husband would be impressed.”

When alleged memory lapses first come to Cass’s attention, she feels confident that she remembers exactly what happened and what didn’t. In time, however, she’s unable to ignore evidence that contradicts her memory of the event in question, and her confidence wavers. In this example, Cass’s realization that her memory is incomplete effectively sows a seed of doubt regarding her version of events and her cognitive capacity.

“It’s hard to believe that my split-second decision to take a shortcut through the woods that fateful Friday night has had such a devastating impact on my life. Jane may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time but so was I. So was I.”

This passage reinforces the book’s thematic message about The Impact of Guilt and Fear on Mental Health. The term “split-second decision” suggests that Cass’s experience could happen to anyone: a justifiable mistake with outsized consequences. Cass recognizes that seeing Jane that night doesn’t make Jane’s death her fault, yet she’s unable to quell her feelings of guilt. This demonstrates the complexity of such emotions, contributing to an understanding of their potentially devastating impact.

“Back downstairs, I take a book and a bottle of water and go into the garden. It takes me a while to choose where to sit because I don’t want anyone to be able to creep up on me.”

Cass’s extra precautions when going to sit in the garden illustrate the escalation of fear and paranoia she’s experiencing. She no longer feels safe even in her own home. The toll of this heightened state of awareness and vigilance quickly wear on her mental and physical health.

“But the truth is, I don’t know how much more of myself I can take. I’m ashamed of how pathetically feeble I’ve become since Jane’s murder. If I hadn’t already been having problems with my memory, I know I would have coped better. But with the possibility of dementia hanging over me, I’ve lost all confidence in myself.”

This observation shows how various stressors can interact with each other to exacerbate the stress response and create a vicious cycle. Guilt and fear make Cass feel feeble. This creates a shame response, which debilitates her further. Her perception of memory loss and resulting lack of confidence are both cause and effect, and all these factors together create the perfect storm for her to spiral into exhaustion and despair.

“Suddenly, I miss her more than I ever have. The pain is acute, almost physical, and leaves me breathless. I want more than anything to be able to take her hand in mine and tell her that I love her, for her to put her arms around me and tell me that everything will be all right. Because sometimes I’m not sure that it will be.”

Many of The Breakdown’s portrayals of grief, guilt, and fear associate these emotions with physical symptoms, like pain. This quote reinforces that connection. Cass’s thoughts about her mother at a seemingly random moment implicates the role of grief in her vulnerable psychological state. Additionally, these lines contribute to an apprehensive mood that increases tension and suspense.

“‘What happened to your alarm? Did you forget to put it on?’ ‘No, I must have slept right through it. Didn’t you hear it?’ ‘No, otherwise I would have woken you up.’ The lie slips easily out of my mouth.”

Cass’s habit of telling Matthew small lies used to cause her guilt. Now that she feels he never believes her or validates her concerns, however, Cass feels forced to lie to him to protect herself, though she doesn’t yet recognize it on a conscious level. The increasing ease of lying she experiences thematically illuminates The Erosion of Honesty and Trust in Relationships.

“‘I hope you didn’t mind me not coming back to yours after the end-of-year dinner,’ I go on, because I still feel guilty about pulling out at the last minute. ‘No, of course not. Except that as you didn’t come, John didn’t either, so we had to make our own entertainment.’”

Connie’s revelation that John also skipped the party on the night of Jane’s murder is a subtle red herring. It prompts the recognition that John wasn’t where he was expected to be at the time Jane was killed, without stating anything directly. Ultimately, though, it fuels suspicion of John that is misplaced and distracts readers from the true killer’s identity.

“I want to tell him about the car I suspect was parked outside the house earlier, but how can I after what’s happened? All it will sound like is more hysteria, more paranoia on my part.”

Time after time, Matthew dismisses and invalidates Cass’s concerns. Though he pretends to do so out of love and to be a supportive husband, Cass no longer feels she can be honest with him, and she no longer trusts him to be the partner she needs him to be. As this effect is reinforced over time, it shows how gaslighting, or even being unintentionally dismissive, can damage relationships, thematically developing The Erosion of Honesty and Trust in Relationships.

“Fear and guilt have become such constant companions that I can’t remember what it was like to live without them.”

In a relatively short period of time, Cass’s entire life has become subsumed by these feelings. Matthew and Rachel intentionally exacerbate every negative event and emotion Cass is experiencing, making her feel as though she’s losing her sanity and her resilience; in other words, like she’s having a complete mental breakdown. This quote concisely emphasizes The Impact of Guilt and Fear on Mental Health as a theme.

“I’m ashamed—ashamed that I’m no longer the strong person I once was, ashamed that I let the slightest thing get to me.”

Cass’s feelings of shame are triggered by her fear, but they also fuel it. Her perception of personal weakness makes her believe she can’t handle stressors and keep herself safe, which increases her terror. Along with guilt, fear, paranoia, and grief, shame contributes to a vicious cycle that results in psychological vulnerability and personal crisis.

“But it isn’t dementia that has robbed me of my independence, I realize, though that day may one day come. It’s the guilt and fear that have riddled my every waking moment since I drove past Jane’s car two months ago. It’s guilt and fear that have diminished me.”

Cass’s realization in this passage reinforces the novel’s thematic message about the impact of guilt and fear. In addition, it represents an important insight that helps Cass understand the nature of her conflicts. Her fear of dementia is a problem, not her actual cognitive capacity. Her internal conflict with guilt and her external conflict with her tormentor are her main problems, and they aren’t beyond her control.

“The realization of what I’ve become, and why I’ve become as I am, is a massive wake-up call.”

This line builds on Cass’s realization in the previous quote, turning her insight into an epiphany: a sudden discovery that gives a character new awareness and often marks a turning point in a story. Cass calls it a wake-up call, and it’s indeed a turning point in the story and in her character arc. She decides to take action and regain control of her life, after falling apart due to her trust and submissiveness.

“If anyone can help me in my quest for peace of mind, it has to be Alex, Jane’s husband. I don’t expect him to take away the guilt that I feel because it will always be with me. But he had seemed a kind and compassionate man and if he sees that I’m truly sorry for not stopping to help Jane that night, he might find it in his heart to forgive me. And then maybe, just maybe, I might be able to start forgiving myself.”

Once Cass recognizes her inner conflict with guilt over Jane’s death, she can work to resolve it. In addition to characterizing Alex, these lines reveal Cass’s plan for dealing with her guilt. It’s a logical plan that demonstrates an understanding of her own psychological needs. It also intimates the significance of forgiveness as a tool for dealing with guilt.

“I understand that it must be frightening for him to have a wife who keeps banging on about being stalked by a murderer but shouldn’t he try to get to the bottom of my fears before dismissing them so abruptly? When I think about it, he’s never once sat me down properly and asked why I think the murderer is after me. If he had, I might have admitted to seeing Jane’s car that night.”

These lines mark another important turning point in Cass’s character arc. Before now, her selflessness and trust in others enabled Matthew and Rachel to succeed in gaslighting her. Matthew’s effective pretense at being a loving and supportive husband added to Cass’s credulity so that she never noticed the red flags in his behavior. Now that she finally sees his constant dismissal of her concerns for what it is, she can start to trust her perception of reality again.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like for him to go from a wife who, at the beginning of the summer, was a little absent-minded to a wife who, by the end of the summer, is demented, paranoid and suicidal.”

Cass’s overdose and hospitalization interrupted the progress she was making to regain control of her life and hold Matthew accountable for invalidating her concerns. In the wake of her supposed death-by-suicide attempt, she feels helpless and hopeless again, a mental state that makes her more reliant on Matthew and harder on herself. Her concern for Matthew’s well-being, when he’s the one tormenting her, adds to the pathos of her situation and makes his character seem even more heinous.

“When I get to the lay-by where Jane’s car was parked, I slow down and pull in. After turning off the engine, I wind down my window and sit for a while, letting the light breeze fill the car. And I feel that Jane is with me. Even though the murderer still hasn’t been caught, for the first time since her death, I feel at peace.”

One of the book’s three main conflicts is Cass’s struggle against her guilt surrounding Jane’s death. Confessing her secret to Jane’s husband, Alex, and getting his forgiveness was an important first step for Cass in resolving this conflict. She has also achieved significant resolution to her conflict with her unknown tormentor, now that she knows the truth about Matthew and Rachel. These circumstances alleviate the traumatic association Cass feels to Blackwater Lane. Feeling at peace there signals that she’s no longer at the mercy of guilt and fear.

“‘Did he say anything else?’ ‘Just that I wasn’t to come home by Blackwater Lane. He said there was a storm coming and I should stick to the main road.’”

This conversation between Cass and the police officer draws attention back to Matthew’s behavior in Chapter 1, the night Jane died. In hindsight, it’s much more suspicious than it seemed at the time and seems to suggest that Matthew is Jane’s killer. This is another red herring, however, meant to lead reader expectations away from the truth.

“‘I can’t believe it,’ I say weakly. ‘I can’t believe that Matthew killed Jane.’ PC Lawson frowns. ‘Matthew? No, Matthew isn’t our murderer.’ My mind spins. ‘Not Matthew? Then who?’ ‘Miss Baretto. Rachel has admitted everything.’”

Chapter 27 effectively created an expectation of Matthew’s guilt through red herrings, including his insistence that Cass stay off Blackwater Lane, his story about having a migraine and sleeping in the guest room, and his bonfire to allegedly burn branches the following day. Cultivating this expectation allows the revelation that Rachel is the real killer to come as a thrilling twist.

“I feel terrible. I should have understood how devastated Rachel felt at being left out of Dad’s will. How could I have been so insensitive?”

These lines depict Cass’s response to learning why Rachel schemed against her. Cass’s sympathy for Rachel, after all Rachel has done to her, expands Cass’s characterization. Though Cass has undergone transformation in her character arc, she hasn’t abandoned her selflessness or compassion. The explication of Rachel’s motives adds complexity to her character, which otherwise may have been too flat to make her a compelling antagonist.