53 pages • 1 hour read
Roland SmithZach's Lie
Fiction | Novel | Middle GradeA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1, Chapters 1-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “Flight”
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “Friday, August 25”
In his journal, 13-year-old Jack Osborne describes how, to protect his family, airport security helped him, his older sister Joanne, his mother Patricia, and “Aunt Doris” and “Uncle Don” (who are really federal agents) secretively board their flight before other passengers. Jack, his family, and his toy Commander IF sit in the back row of the plane, watching the faces of the incoming passengers for any sign of danger.
The narration switches to the third person, a pattern that continues for most of the Part 1. When he was nine, Jack liked pretending to be a superhero—until he fell out a window and broke both legs. His ex-Navy fighter pilot dad, Neil, carved him a model of the space shuttle to occupy Jack in the hospital. Inside the model, Jack found an astronaut whom he initially named Commander Jacko but changed to Commander IF for “Imaginary Friend” after his father shared that both he and his grandfather had beloved imaginary friends. Commander IF left when Jack was eleven but returned recently, on the day Jack was packing to move to their new, smaller house. In the hospital, Jack also learned to love reading and writing. His father gave him five journals, and Jack filled one every year since his accident. Now, Jack is on the last journal and wonders where he will get another. In the last month, however, he has only written two entries.
Jack learns they are flying to Salt Lake City. He is not used to his new name, Zach Granger, and wishes he could have chosen his new name, like his sister, who is now Wanda, and his mother, who is Mary.
Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary: “Monday, July 24”
Jack writes that men entered their house last night. Jack wished he could have stopped them. He knows his dad could have if he were there although the men came because of Neil.
A masked man awakens Jack, holding him at knifepoint. He tapes Jack’s arms behind him, tapes his mouth shut, and takes him to the living room where Joanne and Patricia are similarly restrained. Two more masked men hold a gun and a phone. Jack feels helpless. The man with the phone orders Mrs. Osborne to say “They will kill us if you talk” when he instructs her (12). The phone rings and Jack hears his dad asking if they are all right. Mrs. Osborne repeats the words, and the man hangs up. After another call, the intruder says he is going to release them but threatens to find and kill them all if they talk. He releases Jack’s hands and orders him to wait 30 minutes before releasing his mom and sister. The men leave. Later, the family cries and hugs and tries to understand what is happening.
Police in tactical gear raid their home that morning. Federal agents Pelton and Dayton from the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency have a warrant to seize their home and possessions. Neil is in federal custody on drug charges though the family is not under arrest. Agent Pelton finds the duct tape and knows the Osbornes were threatened. He urges them to talk, saying only the government can protect them. Patricia asks for her attorney.
Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary
The same day, Patricia’s friend and attorney, June Sanders, takes the family to a hotel, updating them and assuring them that Agent Pelton will explain more when Patricia talks with him—which Patricia is uncertain she will do. The federal authorities are holding Neil on drug trafficking charges. The authorities have been watching his cargo airline business, which flies between the U.S. and Mexico and Central and South America, and copious evidence against him suggests that he has been using his business to run drugs between the countries. Patricia cannot believe Neil has hidden this from her, but he has been away frequently, and when he is home, he and Patricia argue. Jack hates to see his mother so devastated. Neil retains his own attorney, Benjamin Bender, a famous criminal defense attorney who also wants to represent Patricia. As June urges Patricia to tell Agent Pelton the truth, Benjamin Bender arrives.
Jack dislikes the well-dressed, unctuous Bender, but hopes his father is innocent like Bender suggests. Bender claims a “mutual friend” introduced him to Neil who has the family’s best interests at heart. He alludes to the potential danger they face and urges Patricia to retain his services and not talk with Pelton. Patricia refuses. When Bender leaves, Patricia, and June wonder how he found them and realize “they”—the criminals—know where the family is.
Berry Jones and Paul Snider, employees of Alonzo Aznar, follow and report on Bender. Aznar learns that Neil is worried about his family and threatens to expose Aznar’s operation if Aznar harms them. Aznar scoffs until he learns Neil knows more about his business than Neil let on.
Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary
June takes the family to the Federal Detention Center where Neil is being held. Agent Pelton agrees to let Patricia speak to Neil privately before he interviews her. Neil immediately asks about the kids and tries to apologize. Patricia furiously responds that the kids are “traumatized” and asks Neil what she needs to do. Neil tells Patricia not to speak to Bender, who is on Aznar’s payroll. He says the men who threatened them were probably Aznar, who runs a drug cartel, and his assistants, Jones and Snider. They will try to kill Patricia and the kids. Neil advises Patricia to tell Pelton what happened. Neil has already told Pelton his side of the story and is cooperating with the DEA in exchange for the family’s safety. Patricia, Jack, and Joanne will enter the Witness Security Program. The government will sell their home, give them new identities and some money, and move them to a new place. They will essentially start life over again. Neil admits “It will be horrible,” but they will be safe from ruthless Aznar (34), which is what both Neil and Patricia want.
Neil plans delay Bender and threaten Aznar with a document exposing his drug operation, giving Pelton enough time to safely relocate the family. Neil tells Patricia he loves her, but she is too stunned to respond. He asks to see the kids before the family disappears. Patricia asks Pelton for protection. Pelton has had them under surveillance but is upset to learn that Bender has found them independently.
Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary
Jack writes that he is worried things will get worse. Late at night, Agent Pelton moves the family secretly from the hotel. They return to their old house where June and two U.S. Marshals, Doris Welty and Donald Smites, wait for them. The Marshals ask the kids to call them Aunt Doris and Uncle Don: That will be their cover as they help the family relocate. Uncle Don explains the Witness Security Program. Patricia, Jack, and Joanne must pack what they want moved to their new, smaller home far from their present location. Jack and Joanne are upset to learn the change is permanent and that they can never contact friends or family again. Agent Pelton explains it is necessary because, while many of Aznar’s connections will be arrested, others will want to harm the family as a lesson in the consequences of informing.
Jack packs three boxes and gets “Jack in the Box” out of his father’s workshop. Jack and Neil built the special wooden lock box that holds Jack’s completed journals. They each have a key. Jack believes his dad kept his promise not to read the journals. June says goodbye: any future contact with them will be through the U.S. Marshals. Patricia will signal that they are safe by sending June a blank postcard of the space shuttle. June will then tell Neil it is safe to talk to Agent Pelton.
Angry that the family evaded them, Aznar sends Bender to threaten Neil. Neil denies making a deal with the DEA to protect his family but is unsure if Bender believes him.
Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary: “Thursday, August 17”
The family must now use their new names, even when talking to each other. Their phones have been confiscated, and they must continually review their new life story. Mary and Wanda do not talk about Neil, but Jack thinks of him constantly. They change their appearances: his mom and sister cut and dye their hair blonde. All three get blue contact lenses. They visit Neil before they go, but Wanda refuses to see him.
It is difficult for Zach to see Neil handcuffed and wearing a prison uniform. Neil emotionally apologizes and truthfully explains what happened in case he does not see his family again. He ran out of money after buying his airline company and was about to lose everything when Alonzo Aznar, a drug lord, bought half the company and paid his bills. Neil knew Aznar ran a drug cartel, but the money was good, he enjoyed the job, and he liked Alonzo. He did not consider the hurt he was causing his family by running drugs. Neil now wants to act ethically and expose Aznar. Mary runs crying from the room. Zach hugs his dad and says he loves him.
The story returns to the beginning. The family disembarks at Salt Lake City. Mary, driving their new used car—follows Don to their new home in Elko, Nevada. Zach does not like dry, dusty Elko with its rocky lumps for mountains. Gold mines and casinos drive Elko’s economy. To make a living, Mary will open a bookstore. Their new house is tiny, bringing Wanda to tears. Doris assures them they will find a larger rental soon. Zach does not mind, and Commander IF thinks the size is perfect.
Part 1, Chapters 1-6 Analysis
In these opening chapters, Smith quickly establishes Jack’s character, through both his journaling and memories, and his deep attachment to his father. Smith immediately begins building suspense by introducing the novel’s dangerous antagonist and realistically detailing how Jack’s father’s actions throw Jack’s life into turmoil. Jack and his family face the loss of their lifestyle, identity, family ties, freedom, and safety. Smith establishes themes about the slippery nature of lies, the importance of truth and trust, and the value of family.
Zach’s Lie has all the characteristics of a crime thriller, including the element of suspense. Smith keeps readers engrossed in Zach’s story and uncertain about Zach’s future. Mixing Jack’s first-person journal entries with a third person omniscient point of view allows the reader to both connect with Jack’s thoughts and feelings while building suspense as readers learn details that Jack does not know. Smith allows readers inside the plans of drug lord Alonzo Aznar, the formidable threat to Jack and his family.
Pacing also contributes to the novel’s suspense. Beginning the story in media res—the first chapter finds Jack and his family in the process of relocating—immediately engages the audience and draws them into the story. Jack’s dated journal entries add to the story’s sense of speed, filling in the drama and danger that occur over the space of just a few days, then returning to the present time by the end of the first section. Smith utilizes foreshadowing to build the novel’s suspense with hints that someone in Jack’s family will compromise their cover story and that Aznar will pursue the family. The two sets of keys to the Jack-in-the-Box, coupled with Neil’s threat of a document that will expose Aznar—added to his instruction to Zach to keep the box safe—suggest that the box will play a future role in the plot.
Finally, Smith’s use of realistic detail gives readers a sense of immediacy and danger. The family hostage scene provides realistic details, such as Jack wetting his pants in fear and Agent Pelton finding Zach’s black hairs on the duct tape. These graphic nuances give readers the sense that the story could be true.
Thirteen-year-old Jack enjoys reading, and writing—filling several years’ worth of journals with his thoughts and feelings. His habits reveal that he is both is creative and self-reflective. His imaginings about Commander IF show Jack’s creativity and his admiration for his dad. Jack mentally fashions Commander IF in his dad’s image: a skilled, self-assured, heroic Navy pilot. Although an imaginary friend, Commander IF contributes to Jack’s inner dialogue. He is there when Jack needs emotional support, returning when Jack loses his father and everything familiar. Jack’s memories of his father—building the toy space shuttle, sharing stories of his imaginary friend, bravely remaining with a downed pilot comrade, helping keep Jack’s journals safe—show Neil as a great dad in Jack’s eyes: patient, understanding, and there for him.
Consequently, Jack experiences complicated emotions when he learns about Neil’s criminal activity and its consequences. Neil betrays his family’s trust, leaving Jack feeling “Confused. Sad. Scared. Perhaps all three at once” (50)—but Jack does not forsake his dad. Jack tells Neil he is not “disgusted” at him and reassures Neil that he loves him before they leave. Patricia and Joanne, feeling personally wounded, reject Neil. She does not reciprocate when Neil tells her he loves her and does not speak to him on their last visit. Joanne refuses to see Neil even though she may never see him again, blaming him for destroying her life. Jack is hurt that his mom and sister never talk about Neil. This section shows how each family member deals with the shock and grief of Neil’s arrest differently.
Lies lead to the situation the Osborne family faces but lies will also protect them as the story moves forward. Patricia initially attempts to lie to protect Neil, denying the visit from Aznar’s men. Neil has lied all along to Aznar about his knowledge of Spanish and the information he knows about the extent of Aznar’s drug operation: These lies give Neil the ammunition to help the DEA take Aznar down. Neil also lies to Bender to buy the family time to disappear. Jack’s identity is about to become a lie that will help keep him safe: His life becomes the lie of the novel’s title.
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