Summary
Jack focuses his attention on Mr Harvey, asking the police to investigate him. He tries to engage with Lindsey but she remains withdrawn as her coping strategy. It is Christmas and Jack uses a monopoly board to try and explain to Buckley where Susie is. Samuel Heckler visits Lindsey and gives her a heart pendant divided in two as a gift and they share a kiss. Susie notes that Lindsey never would’ve told her this so through death she gets to share her sister’s secrets.
Presentation of time and space/place: (AO1, AO2)
We get a sense of the impact of Susie’s disappearance on the dynamics of the Salmon household. Their home is a key setting in the novel and from the beginning we see specific spaces in the home but are then shown the family members who would ordinarily be there are absent or displaced. Characters are choosing to conceal themselves in spaces around the house; Abigail is no longer in the front hall because she is in ‘the downstairs bathroom’. These names of places remind the audience that this is a conventional, ordinarily fairly comfortable home. Lindsey disrupts the house by entering the house particularly noisily; onomatopoeia of ‘slammed’ and ‘stomped’ is what draws Jack in to go and check on her but she won’t engage. We are later reminded that Mr Harvey is not only a close neighbour but has identical spaces to them and he is very good at avoiding the scrutiny of them and can manipulate those who visit him so they don’t intrude.
Characterisation (AO1, AO2, AO3)
There are specific reasons suggested for why both Abigail and Lindsey are now so keen to segregate themselves; it has to do with their roles or how people perceive them. Lindsey’s pain is so heavy that she cannot look at herself out of fear of sent the resemblance to Susie which is a large burden for a 13-year-old to bear. Abigail is hiding downstairs because she wants a moment to escape from the family responsibilities. Susie links this to a time in Abigail’s life where she seemed content which was during her pregnancy with Susie.
How does Jack plan to get more information out of Mr Harvey?
Jack plans to observe Mr Harvey in his everyday life to try and pick up on any unusual behaviour or anything that could be used as evidence to link him towards Susie’s murder.
How does Lindsey hide her grief in this chapter?
Lindsey refuses to talk to anyone about her feelings and keeps herself to herself. Her noisy entrance into the house could potentially be to convince her family that she is okay.
