Best Offer Wins

“The first class on the Saturday schedule at Power + Grace starts at 9 am, which means I am in the parking lot by 8:30. Ian thinks I’m meeting with a potential client, so I left the apartment in a sheath dress over a sports bra. Once I was out of the city, I pulled behind a gas station and wriggled into yoga pants.”

Margo is willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure their offer is accepted. Her ruthless, cutthroat nature sets her apart from her quiet husband Ian, who is content to let events unfold according to their own schedule. Here, Margo attends a yoga class that Curtis and Jack might be at, hoping to befriend them. This act of mild subterfuge is typical for Margo, as is the web of lies she spins around it in order to keep her actions secret from Ian, reflecting The Consequences of Unscrupulousness and Deception.

“I rehearsed that last bit before he got home, tested out a few different versions: “I fucking love you” (too dramatic), “You scared the shit out of me” (starts to sound gross when you say it over and over.) I felt pretty confident about where I landed, but I didn’t expect this: His eyes are damp. He’s fully crying by the time he pulls me in for a hug.”

Here, Margo reveals that she’s “rehearsed” what she will say when she and Ian discuss their argument. Margo is calculating, even in her marriage, and she hopes to make Ian feel as bad as possible, demonstrating how casually she manipulates people. The way she coolly assesses potential responses as “too dramatic” or “gross” reveals that Margo is no longer interacting with Ian from a place of vulnerability and authenticity, invoking The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family.

“It’s been five days since I first saw the house. Every day since, I’ve talked myself out of coming back here. It would have obviously been too risky. How many more times could I possibly explain away bumping into Jack out of sheer coincidence? But I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s like a middle-school crush. All I’ve wanted to do is study every inch of this place and imagine what it’ll be like when it’s mine.”

The house itself functions symbolically within the narrative, representing Margo’s desire and the extreme measures she is willing to take to achieve her goals. Here, the author uses similes like “middle-school crush” to illustrate Margo’s fixation with Jack and Curtis’s home and to convey how all-consuming her interest in it is.

“We have been trying you all day, Margo! I was about to send somebody to your apartment, but then Beth had the idea to get Ian’s number from HR. What the fuck are you doing?” It’s a good question. I lift my other eyelid, and the entire nightmare comes hurtling back into focus. The door in my face. Pulling over to get sick on the ride home. Making Ian sleep on the couch for ruining everything. Scrounging up three Xanax from an old prescription bottle in the back of the bathroom drawer. What the fuck am I doing exactly? I am lying on the bedroom floor for some reason, curled around a pillow, a sweaty sheet pulled down from the mattress above.”

This passage, curse-laden and characterized by its humorous tone, is illustrative of the author’s writing style. She uses strong language and Margo’s over-the-top behavior to both to inject levity into her narrative and to draw attention to The Dangers of Consumer Capitalism: In her fixation on getting the house, Margo has begun to neglect her job, her marriage, and basic self-care.

“I haven’t told Ian that I may not have a job anymore, which is possibly the most Dad-like thing I’ve ever done. My sophomore year of high school, he spent weeks setting his alarm, showering and shaving, pretending he still had an office to go to. He must have known long before then that we weren’t going to be able to keep the house.”

Margo’s troubled childhood looms large over this narrative, and its lasting impact on her, even in adulthood, is one of the novel’s key subtexts while exploring The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family. Although Margo judges her father harshly for his damaging parenting, there are elements of some of his more problematic habits in Margo’s own behavior. Like her father, she is comfortable with lying, deception, and manipulation, and she easily places herself above others when doing so helps her achieve her goals.

“‘You really have a whole checklist don’t you: House, baby, dog.’ She holds up a finger as she counts off each item. Then, smirking, adds ‘menopause, death.’ ‘I guess so.’ I say, smiling, refusing to give her the satisfaction of getting under my skin.”

Margo is isolated and has few true friends. All of her relationships are characterized by some degree of barely hidden animosity, and here she tries not to reveal the anger for Natalie that simmers below the surface of their interactions, even as Natalie remains a key part of Margo’s social world. Natalie’s observations that Margo thinks of life like a “checklist” speaks to the issue of Margo’s materialism and The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family—Margo is so consumed with crafting the image of the ideal life that she neglects the emotional authenticity that would give it all meaning.

“The yearbook idea occurred to me right after I got into bed. Ian was already passed out, and I’d just switched off the TV. He snored next to me while I re-read the email from nobodynoone997. The most promising clue that I had, other than the IP address, seemed to be those two digits at the end of the account name.”

Here, Margo thinks critically about her one real clue, the anonymous emailer’s choice of address. She will decide that the 97 likely represents the sender’s birth year and that their language, a bold claim made in all capital letters, represents heightened emotion. A young person, a student, is likely the sender. This kind of critical thinking is reflective of Margo’s intellect and research acumen, but it also speaks to The Consequences of Unscrupulousness and Deception, as she is becoming more embroiled in an attempted blackmail scheme that Ian is entirely unaware of.

“You sound unwell, Curt. If your father still spoke to you, I bet he’d be very concerned too.”

Here, Margo confronts Curt at Georgetown instead of trying to run. When he informs her that he called the police on her last night, she counters with a low blow about the family dysfunction that she thinks might be a source of agitation to him. Moments like this add tension to the narrative, as the author makes it apparent that Curt and Margo are well-matched adversaries and each is playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the other. Although the novel is humorous and at times light in its tone, its engagement with pursuit and obsession also mark it as a thriller.

“I have been racing against something or towards something for as long as I can remember. Racing to grow up and get away. Racing against deadlines. Racing to make enough money. To start a family. To find the house. To feel like I’ve finally made it. To feel like I can finally just live.”

Margo here references her humble background and notes the exhaustion that comes from being a self-made woman. She also cites the difficulty of attaining perfection, of finding the “perfect house” and starting a stable family. This passage speaks both to the pressures Margo, as someone from an unhappy and financially strained household, has always faced, with her desire to feel like she’s “finally made it” reflecting how long she has lived with insecurity.

“Bradshaw has something I want, and I need leverage.”

Here, Margo tells a half-truth to Dottie. She admits that she needs “leverage” but does not reveal her real identity or what it is that Bradshaw has that she wants. Her desire to manipulate even Dottie to get what she wants further the text’s exploration of The Consequences of Unscrupulousness and Deception, as Dottie has also had a difficult life, but this does not inspire solidarity or empathy in Margo.

“Why has it never occurred to me that Ian might be just as good of a liar as I am? He might even be better?”

Relationships are often the primary source of tension and danger in domestic thrillers, and in this moment Margo realizes that Ian might not be as stalwart and upstanding as she thought. This passage speaks to The Consequences of Unscrupulousness and Deception, as Margo suddenly realizes Ian “might be just as good of a liar” as she is, further revealing the cracks and lack of emotional connection in their marriage.

“Once we’re in the dream house, especially once I’m pregnant, this will get much easier to compartmentalize. I don’t have to like Ian, I just need him to be there.”

Passages like these help to illuminate Margo’s real nature and expose the aspects of her personality that she keeps hidden for much of the novel. Margo prioritizes family, home, and parenting over having a happy marriage. She remains with Ian even after she learns of the affair because he is just one piece of the broader puzzle of her life. Her commitment to appearances over reality invokes The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family, as Margo becomes more fixated on seeming like a perfect family than actually being a happy one.

“Curt is such a cliché, like a guy playing a professor on TV, that his office at Georgetown is almost exactly how I envisioned it. He has a hulking antique desk piled with papers leaning on stacks of folders and books, and a burgundy chesterfield sofa, the leather worn to a faded pink in the spots where legions of students have sat over the years, captive to his bluster.”

Margo is an unreliable narrator, and many of the novel’s characters are presented primarily through their eyes, resulting in unflattering characterization. Here, Curtis’s office reveals a carefully curated space, designed to project a professorial appearance. Since Curtis plagiarized the entire first chapter of his book, his academic façade is another example of appearances not aligning with true reality.

“Perfect house, perfect baby, perfect dog, shitty husband.”

Margo dreams of a picture-perfect life, although she is ultimately willing to sacrifice a happy marriage to move into the perfect home and raise a child with two, albeit unhappy parents. The listing of three “perfect” things followed by a “shitty” husband speaks to The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family, as Margo’s schemes for an ideal life are already falling apart, even if she does not fully realize it.

“Welcome to the most desirable home in charming Grovemont!”

This line, taken from the house’s listing, speaks to the novel’s broader interrogation of The Dangers of Consumer Capitalism and the notion that wealth buys happiness. Margo does not want just any home, she wants the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood. Her fixation with perfection and desirability speak to the extent to which she buys into the idea that only the best will make her happy.

“I probably knew by then, deep down, that my dad wasn’t a good man. But this was the moment when that fact became undeniable. He’d sold Blossom, he’d explained, to a customer who had a dog just like her.”

Margo has a well-defined concept of the “perfect life,” and it includes not only baby, husband, and home, but also a dog. Her childhood dog is a key part of this backstory. In this passage, she reveals that her father sold her childhood pet, valuing money more than his daughter’s happiness. Margo does not realize that she, too, has started to value money and prestige more than happiness in her own choices, reflecting a perpetuation of family dysfunction.

“Take it from me. The sooner you realize marriage is a sham, the sooner you can have a real life.”

Natalie speaks this line to Margo after Margo confides in her that Ian might be having an affair. Natalie is a static character written without as much complexity as Margo. She parties her way through her post-divorce life, engaging in a string of short-lived liaisons with men and women she meets bartending. Part of Natalie’s broader role within the novel is as Margo’s foil: Natalie’s priorities differ from Margo’s, and they draw attention to Margo’s hyper-fixation on traditional goals like family, parenthood, and home ownership.

“Before I leave, I pull a silver luggage lock from my bag and secure it around the suitcase’s zippers. If Penny finds this first, I don’t want her to see what’s inside.”

Moments like this are a key part of the novel’s suspense structure. Margo does not reveal what is in the suitcase, but because of its weight and potential to upset Penny, the implication is that it is a body. The author offers both subtle clues and red herrings during scenes like this one. Several pages earlier, Margo repeated her refrain of “perfect house, perfect baby,” but added “perfect dog” (See Quote #15). Since Margo once mentioned that Natalie refused to give her Fritter, the inclusion of “perfect dog” seems to point to a potential murder, Natalie’s. However, the actual murder here is that of Alex, for which Margo intends to frame Natalie, hoping that she will then be able to adopt Fritter.

“‘My goodness, Jim, a real tragedy seems to be unfolding there,’ says Doreen. ‘It sure does’ says Jim. ‘Beautiful neighborhood, too.’”

Moments like these add levity to the novel and speak to the author’s use of satire. Here, as two newscasters discuss a grisly murder, one comments on how “beautiful” the neighborhood is. In a novel that depicts the dark side of the housing market and the dangers of hyper-fixation on homes as status symbols, the newscaster’s remark is noteworthy. Much like Margo, he cannot hear of a crime taking place in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood without thinking of real estate.

“Finally the press conference is about to come on, nearly three hours behind schedule. It’s almost seven o’clock now, almost twenty-four hours since #Bethsedabasementbody first broke. I haven’t been able to decide whether the delayed start is a good or bad sign. Maybe the surveillance footage Chad Benson teased didn’t pan out? My palms are sticky, but not from fear. I’m excited, thrilled even, to hear what they’ve found.”

Here, Margo reveals the darker side of her personality. Margo has now committed a murder and is entirely free of remorse, instead feeling “excited, thrilled even” to hear news of her crime. Margo’s lack of remorse and commitment to crime invokes The Consequences of Unscrupulousness and Deception, as the more she lies and schemes, the more extreme her behavior becomes.

“Before we go any further, you should know one thing. If I’d had a choice, I would have killed Ian. As a feminist, it’s important to me that you understand that. I blame him. I hate him. But it would have been impossible to cover those tracks.”

Margo’s self-characterization as a “feminist” reveals that gap between how she perceives herself and what her actions actually reveal. Margo judges Natalie for engaging in casual romantic relationships and partying in the wake of her divorce and kills her without remorse to complete the final steps of her plan. That she targets Alex only because murdering Ian would have been too difficult makes it clear that she is not a “feminist” at all, instead revealing that she entirely lacks empathy for others and thinks nothing about harming other women.

“Of course I was nervous. To keep myself focused and tamp down the fear, I repeated the steps of the plan over and over in my head. Not so different really, from preparing for an important client pitch.”

Margo approaches her master plan to purchase the house, which includes several murders, with the same attention to detail that she does her job, revealing both that she is able to compartmentalize (by not blaming herself for two murders) and that she is able to transfer skills, applying methods that have helped her in her career to her new, less orthodox venture.

“Do you want to be in jail for the birth of your child? Or worse, do you want me to give birth in a prison cell? Do you want our baby ripped away from us, her life destroyed before it can even start?”

Margo does not reveal the extent of her manipulative nature until late in the narrative. Part of the general unreliability of her character is her tendency to gloss over her faults and flaws. Here, she overtly manipulates Ian and demonstrates that, although she no longer loves or even likes her husband, she is willing to stay with him to move into the house and provide her child with a two-parent home: Margo places house and “stable” family above her desire for a loving marriage, committing to even though the reality is now entirely different The Myth of the Picture-Perfect Family.