Do Not Disturb

“Would it be a terrible thing to say that I hope he hasn’t achieved bliss? Would it be terrible to say that I hope he’s burning in hell right now?”

As Quinn discusses Derek’s death, she wonders whether it is “terrible” for her to feel hate and anger toward him. While this shows Quinn’s kindness, it also emphasizes The Psychological Impact of Trauma and Abuse. Even after being nearly killed, she is still hesitant to hate Derek, emphasizing just how much of a psychological impact his abuse has had on her.

“His fingers closing around my neck, compressing my windpipe. Flailing around with my right hand until it made contact with the knife rack on the kitchen counter…I swallow, and with trembling fingers, I turn up the water temperature as hot as it will go. Scalding. My nerve endings are screaming, but I welcome it.”

Quinn vividly relives Derek’s abuse, even after his death, emphasizing the psychological impact that it has on her. Her shower is symbolic of her efforts at cleansing herself. Just as she physically cleans her body, she “scalds” herself in an effort to wash away the mental stain left on her by Derek’s abuse.

“I hesitate at the top of the stairwell, my stomach fluttering. I was up there too long. Too many wasted minutes. What if Scott came back to check on me? What if he didn’t really believe I was watching the movie Scream? What if the first floor of my house is crawling with cops, waiting to drag me away in cuffs? My sensible sneakers thump on the steps. I take them slowly, watching to see if anyone is waiting for me. My heart is pounding.”

Quinn’s thoughts build suspense in the novel, exploring Quinn’s psyche. As a result of the trauma of killing Derek, she is paranoid, afraid, and nearly convinces herself that she will be arrested upon descending the stairs. This sense of paranoia continues for Quinn throughout her point of view chapters, creating narrative momentum.

“[Claudia] doesn’t know the extent of the connections Derek’s family has. And even though she doesn’t like Derek, she doesn’t really understand quite how bad he is. I’ve been afraid to tell her all the details, because I thought she would beat him to death with a rolling pin—she’s very protective of me. And truthfully, I didn’t understand quite how bad he was until today.”

Quinn’s reasoning for not telling Claudia about Derek’s abuse—and for not going to the police after she kills him—emphasizes the complexities of domestic abuse. Even though she knows that what Derek is doing is wrong, she is concerned about the privilege that he and his family have. Additionally, the passage subtly invokes Appearance Versus Reality, as Quinn refers to her sister as “protective” and thinks that Claudia would “beat [Derek] to death” if she knew he was abusive. In reality, Claudia hates Quinn and will try to kill her over Derek’s murder.

“Over the sound of the engine and the wind and rain outside, I hear another noise. It takes me a second to make it out. But when I do, my stomach sinks. It’s a siren.”

One narrative technique that McFadden uses throughout the text is shown here. She ends multiple chapters on a cliffhanger, as she does with the “siren” that sounds behind Quinn’s car in this quote. This technique builds suspense, encouraging readers to continue reading onto the next chapter to see if Quinn will be arrested.

“I have to drive down a nearly unpaved road until I see the weather-worn sign in front of a beat up old two-story house with a crumbling porch. The roof looks warped, almost sunken, like it could collapse at any moment. There’s a dim light shining in one of the upstairs windows, and if there weren’t, I would think the motel was abandoned.”

The initial description of the Baxter Motel highlights the importance of the setting to the mood of the novel. It is old and in disrepair, creating a creepy, uncertain feeling surrounding the motel and implying that Quinn’s life is in danger there.

“I don’t shower at motels. When I was a kid, I saw this movie where this woman got murdered while taking a shower at a motel. It scarred me for life.”

This quote is an allusion to the film Psycho (1960). The allusion to Psycho, which also takes place in a motel and involves the murder of the female protagonist, heightens the sense of fear and suspense, implying that Quinn may meet the same fate as Marion.

“I plastered a smile on my face and tried to suggest we do something together, as a couple. Maybe go to the movies or go shopping. Or up to the bedroom, even. But Derek couldn’t let it go. He kept insisting I came home to meet another man.”

Derek’s reaction to Quinn coming home from work—assuming that she is cheating on him—is an example of irony. In reality, Derek is the one that is cheating on Quinn, characterizing Derek as hypocritical and villainous.

“I flash [Nick] a sympathetic look, thinking of Derek. ‘We all go a little crazy sometimes.’”

This quote is another allusion to Hitchcock’s Psycho, as Norman Bates says the same line to Marion. In this way, it gives insight into Quinn’s psyche, showing that she is struggling with the impact of killing her husband by comparing herself to two notorious serial killers. Quinn’s complicated feelings reflect The Psychological Impact of Trauma and Abuse.

“I notice now that the water dripping from the ceiling doesn’t look clear the way water usually does. It has a brownish tinge. Almost reddish. I wonder if that’s from rust. It makes sense that the pipes would be rusty here.”

While initially seeming as an instance of foreshadowing, this quote actually turns out to be a red herring. Quinn repeatedly notices the “reddish” water dripping from room 201, hinting at connotations of blood and a possible crime. However, when Rob fixes it, he reveals that it was just rust from years of leaking.

“What was I thinking? The poor guy was just trying to help me, and then I launched myself at him. As he pointed out to me, he’s married. All those years, I blamed Derek for cheating on me, and look what I did when I had the chance. I kissed another woman’s husband.”

These thoughts from Quinn, after she kisses Nick, emphasize the way that Derek’s abuse continues to affect her. After Nick shows her kindness—after years of only receiving abuse from Derek—she responds emotionally, kissing him. However, instead of forgiving herself or trying to understand why she reacted the way she did, she responds harshly, berating herself for what she did.

“I thought I would feel sick at the idea of facing the police and maybe going to jail, but strangely enough, it feels like a great weight off my shoulders. I don’t want to run away. I want to tell everybody what I did and why I did it. Derek deserved it. He was a horrible person. A monster. If I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me.”

These words, at the end of Quinn’s point of view section, mark her change in the text. After killing Derek and feeling as though her only choice was to flee, she suffered with the psychological impact of both his abuse and the trauma of killing him. However, she is now prepared to face what she did, accepting responsibility for her actions—while still acknowledging the role that Derek’s abuse played in her choice.

“I can’t picture [Quinn] stabbing her own husband in cold blood and leaving him bleeding to death in the middle of her kitchen. The same kitchen she and I spent hours flipping through magazines together in our attempt to make it into The Perfect Kitchen. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.”

Claudia’s thoughts seem to portray her disbelief that Quinn could be responsible for Derek’s murder. However, McFadden’s diction is important here, as the use of the words “in cold blood” convey Claudia’s lack of understanding. She does not understand the depth of Derek’s abuse and does not even consider the possibility that Quinn acted out of self-defense, foreshadowing the revelation that she is in love with Derek.

“I stare at him. I have to get up and get to the restaurant. To my job that I love, that I dreamed of all my life. Except I just…don’t want to. The idea of getting out of bed, taking a shower, getting dressed…even running a comb through my hair is so exhausting. I can’t even contemplate it.”

Rosalie’s first point of view chapter highlights the depth of the impact her illness has had on her, reflecting The Psychological Impact of Trauma and Abuse. The progression of her narrative, shifting through years of her history, conveys her development as she grapples with her illness. Initially, she is exhausted and lacks the desire to continue her normal functions, laying the groundwork for her later severe depression.

“That butterflies sensation reminds me of when we were first dating, of how excited I used to be to see him. Except that’s not why I get butterflies now. I’m worried that any day now, Nick will throw up his hands. Tell me he’s done with me. He’s had enough. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will. A person can only take so much.”

These thoughts from Rosalie emphasize the sympathetic view that she takes toward her husband. While she is dealing with her own illness and depression, she still contemplates how her illness must make Nick feel. These thoughts lend insight into her future decision to try to leave Nick, solely because she feels that he will be better off on her own.

“I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from the window. I watch as Christina picks up a brush and runs it through her luxurious blond hair. My hand instinctively goes to my own hair, which has become brittle in the last few years. She smiles at her own reflection—she likes what she sees.”

Rosalie’s thoughts as she watches Christina emphasize The Dangers of Jealousy. Instead of focusing on herself and what she can do—despite her illness—she compares herself to Christina, noting how much she has lost. Additionally, her use of the phrase “can’t seem to tear my eyes away” highlights the struggle she is having with her exclusion from the motel. Her obsession becomes so strong that she feels as though she can’t resist it, even if she wants to.

“I avoid looking in the mirror these days, because when I do, a stranger stares back at me. I always have dark circles under my eyes and hollow cheeks that made me look ten years older than I am.”

This reference to mirrors, a recurring symbol in the text, emphasizes just how deeply Rosalie struggles with the trauma she has experienced through her illness. The person reflected in the mirror—who has aged severely—is not the person she is inside, who longs to escape her room. Ultimately, this conveys the theme of Appearance Versus Reality, highlighting the duality within Rosalie.

“That night two years ago, Nick stopped me before I took all those pills in my medicine cabinet. But the truth is, I still think about it a lot. Except now it’s too late. I can’t stand on my own anymore, even when holding onto the sink, and the pills are too high for me to reach. So I keep on living, by default.”

Rosalie’s suicidal ideation highlights just how deeply she is impacted by her illness. However, it also portrays her unreliability as a narrator in assessing how she truly feels. When she is later faced with the choice to die or fight, she chooses to attack Claudia, deciding that she wants to live.

“After he leaves, I wheel myself over to the window. And I grab my binoculars. I shouldn’t watch them, but I can’t help myself. Worrying about Nick cheating on me again has become an obsession. When we were young, I always trusted him. I was never jealous. Now it’s all I can think about.”

Here, Rosalie admits to her obsession with watching Nick at the motel, conveying both the themes of The Psychological Impact of Trauma and Abuse and The Dangers of Jealousy. She acknowledges how much “jealousy” plays a role in her “obsession,” as the trapped feeling from her illness causes her to fixate on other women.

“I got that scar a year ago, and it still throbs sometimes. Claudia and I were in a fight—yelling and screaming, and yes, throwing things. I can’t even remember what the fight was about, but she picked up a paperweight and threw it at my head. Five stitches.”

This revelation from Rob lends insight into the depth of Claudia’s resentment and jealousy, exposing her abusive behavior. In direct contrast to Claudia’s point of view section of the text, it is revealed that she was physically abusive toward Rob, characterizing her as a dangerous person for the first time in the text.

“I can’t even think about it. The sight of his dead body lying on the kitchen floor will be burned in my eyes forever. That bitch. Derek is superb in bed. Quinn never even mentioned that to me—she didn’t even appreciate it. I started sleeping with him because…Well, long story short, I hate my sister. Surprise, surprise.”

McFadden uses parallel quotes to emphasize the shift in tone of Claudia’s point of view. Earlier in the text, she thought of how she “can still see the scene” from Quinn’s home when she “close[d her] eyes,” causing her to “shudder” (133). This quote, which uses nearly the same words—with the absence of “shudder”—conveys a very different version of Claudia. Instead of being disgusted by Derek’s dead body, she is enraged. She also reveals her hatred for her sister and her affair with Derek, invoking the theme of Appearance Versus Reality.

“I stare back at him. ‘Sorry, Scotty. You missed your chance with her.’ His right hand balls into a fist. He wants to hit me. It says a lot about him that he doesn’t do it, even though I’m an easy target with my hands cuffed behind my back. He’s still a wuss. He won’t even do anything when he sees the girl he’s had a crush on for ten years bleeding to death in the trunk of a car.”

As Claudia is taken away from the motel in handcuffs, she uses the last opportunity to insult Scott. She also thinks how he is a “wuss,” unwilling to stand up for himself. These words convey the fact that Claudia’s character is static and a true antagonist. Even after her arrest, she shows no remorse or regret for what she did, choosing instead to use her last moments to try to humiliate Scott.

“It’s hard to resist my husband. After five years of essentially living like strangers, it’s like we’re on a new honeymoon. It just took almost dying.”

These words convey the dynamic change in Rosalie’s character. She acknowledges the thing that forced her to change—her near-death attack from Claudia—as well as the change that she has made: She is once again happy with Nick. Rosalie overcomes her trauma, seeking out opportunities to make her life better and to cope with her illness in a more empowering way.