63 pages • 2 hours read
A Trick of the Light
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 26-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence, substance use, and addiction.
Chapter 26 Summary
Denis Fortin speaks with Peter and Clara. Myrna and Gamache discuss Beauvoir’s obvious pain, and Myrna assures him, “He loves you. That’s his road home” (311). Castonguay begins angrily ranting, criticizing Clara’s art, then Peter’s, then Fortin’s ambition. Marois tries to get Castonguay to leave, but he accuses him of stealing a client and tries to strangle him. Gamache and his team arrest him.
Gamache and Beauvoir return to the party, as a storm intensifies outside. Using Clara’s art as a metaphor for the case, Gamache notes that Lillian’s death, like Clara’s paintings, is about chiaroscuro—the interplay of light and dark. He turns to the question of change, and asks Suzanne if she truly believes in her own redemption, querying, “is it real hope, or just a trick of the light?” (315).
Chapter 27 Summary
Gamache continues his disquisition, pointing out that Suzanne lied about being the subject of Lillian’s review. He points out that Pineault has also been deceptive, as he has not disclosed that he knows Castonguay because he once attempted AA. Pineault betrayed this when he hid from Castonguay at the bistro, and Gamache confirmed it during their earlier argument. Lillian tried to show him her art, which hints at their history.
