63 pages • 2-hour read
Little Liar
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Part 1, Chapters 7-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary: “Malachi”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death, rape, physical abuse, mental illness, suicidal ideation, sexual content, and cursing.
Malachi keeps his distance from Olivia after the camping trip, though he often sneaks into her room while she is asleep so that he can watch her or lie under her bed. The more he stays away from Olivia, the more subdued he grows. His best friend, Mason, worries that Malachi is having suicidal thoughts, but Malachi knows that he can never leave a world in which Olivia is still alive. He believes that if Jamieson witnesses him having a panic attack again, he will tell Jennifer about it. This would lead to therapy, medication, and maybe a psychiatric hospital for Malachi. Jamieson has no idea how deeply Malachi’s childhood trauma has affected him.
Malachi’s feelings about the Vizes oscillate: Sometimes, they treat him like family, but sometimes, he thinks they resent him. One evening, he realizes that he could steal Jennifer’s sleeping pills and drug Olivia so that he can rape her. He acts on the thought, secretly stirring the pills into Olivia’s drinking water.
After Olivia loses consciousness, Malachi undresses her. He manually and orally rapes her, even though he knows that what he is doing is wrong. Malachi rubs his penis against Olivia’s genitals and ejaculates on her. Meanwhile, Olivia’s phone pings with a message from a boy named Adam, who asks if Olivia is coming to his house tomorrow, as their parents have planned. Though Malachi worries that Olivia may leave him for Adam, he is happy that she will be going on her arranged date after he has marked her with his semen.
Part 1, Chapter 8 Summary: “Malachi”
Anna, a friend of Olivia’s, asks Malachi out on a date, and he accepts in order to make Olivia jealous. However, when Anna tries to kiss him, Malachi pushes her away. After the date, Olivia tells Malachi that she wants to teach him how to kiss since he is more inexperienced. Malachi agrees, knowing that the game is Olivia’s way of couching her desire for him in acceptable terms.
They make out, and Malachi asks Olivia what she likes during sex. When she says that she likes rough sex and choking, she and Malachi grow aggressive with each other, knocking over items in her room in the process. Their parents come up to check on Olivia, but she doesn’t answer their inquiries through the door.
Since she doesn’t answer, they assume that she has snuck out with Parker. Jennifer discusses Adam and Parker as potential husbands for Olivia and tells Jamieson that Olivia needed a morning-after pill following her last date with Adam. As Jennifer and Jamieson walk off, Malachi pulls away from Olivia in anger, realizing that she had sex with Adam. Olivia tells him that the sex was arranged by Adam’s parents: They wanted Olivia to prove her loyalty to their son.
The fact that Jennifer is trafficking Olivia makes Malachi so furious that he contemplates hitting her. He hates his mother for brainwashing Olivia into believing that a forced marriage is her only way into wealth and security. Malachi leaves Olivia’s room via the balcony. Then, Jamieson texts Malachi, angry that he has crashed his bike again. Malachi feels that the only times Jamieson communicates with him is when he wants to express his displeasure or anger.
Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary: “Malachi”
The Vizes throw a poolside party for Jennifer’s birthday. Though Olivia is in the pool with her cheerleader friends, Malachi sulks in a corner, fully dressed. He notes that Jamieson also feels unhappy to be around so many people. Malachi sometimes feels that they have a lot in common, to the extent that they could be biological father and son. On the other hand, he feels alienated from Jennifer. Malachi was once very grateful for his adoptive mother for supporting him and learning how to sign for his sake but now feels resentful of her control of Olivia.
Parker and his father are at the party as well. While Parker flirts unsuccessfully with Olivia, Jennifer flirts with Parker’s father. Malachi is disgusted and tries to stop her, but Jamieson tells him to let things be.
Soon, Olivia calls Malachi to the pool house on the pretext of needing help with the filters. When they’re alone, she kisses him. She and Malachi have manual sex with each other. As Olivia leaves the pool house, she runs into Mason, who realizes that she and Malachi have a sexual relationship. Malachi signs to Mason to keep the knowledge a secret. Mason agrees on the condition that Malachi help him with Abigail, who is his foster sister.
Part 1, Chapter 10 Summary: “Malachi”
The lessons between Olivia and Malachi continue to escalate, with Olivia giving Malachi oral sex on her balcony. Although Jamieson sees Malachi on the balcony and understands that he is engaged in sexual activity, he cannot see Olivia. Malachi knows that it is a matter of time before he and Olivia will engage in penetrative sex. He feels obsessed with Olivia, thinking of her constantly, and cannot wait for her to fall in love with him. Since Jamieson disapproves of Parker, and Adam has told Malachi that he is not interested in Olivia, Malachi is certain that he and Olivia will be together soon.
Later that day, Malachi goes riding with Mason and the rest of their motorcycle group. The newest member, Rory, incites them to race faster; Rory is reckless and uses alcohol and substances more than the others. After the ride, the group hangs out at Mason’s basement, where Mason teases Malachi about Olivia. He also signs to Malachi that he is falling for Abigail, though he fears that Abigail is only interested in him physically.
Just then, Malachi gets a location pin from Olivia. Realizing that this is a call for help, Mason rounds up the gang to head to the location, which is Parker’s house. They find Olivia in the basement with Parker and his friends. Olivia tells Malachi that Parker and his friends were planning to rape her. Malachi is furious; he breaks Parker’s leg and nearly kills him.
Part 1, Chapter 11 Summary: “Malachi”
Since Jamieson learned about Parker’s attempted rape of Olivia, he and Jennifer have been arguing about the arranged marriage tradition. Jamieson wants Jennifer to leave Olivia be. The arguments get so bad that Olivia asks Malachi to take her out of the house for a drive. Malachi asks Olivia to pretend that he is a stranger and run into the woods so that he can chase her, a kink they both enjoy. He catches her, and they make out against a tree, though Malachi stops short of having sexual intercourse with Olivia. Malachi notes that he feels even more aroused when Olivia calls him her brother during sex.
While hanging out with Mason later, Malachi gets a call from a sobbing Olivia. She is angry because she believes he had sex with Anna. Malachi rushes home to clarify that he never touched Anna. He goes to Olivia’s room, but she grabs his fingers so that he cannot sign an explanation to her. Enraged, she twists his fingers and hits him. The violence leads to sex, with Olivia taunting Malachi that it is the last time he will be intimate with her. Malachi signs that he loves her and would rather kill himself and her before letting her get away. He forcibly gives Olivia oral sex. Engrossed, he does not notice Jamieson appear on the scene.
A horrified Jamieson pulls Malachi off Olivia. Malachi makes a derogatory statement about Olivia to Jamieson, and Jamieson punches him. Consumed with rage, Malachi hits Jamieson repeatedly. Malachi can hear Olivia crying at him to stop, but he does not stop until Jamieson is unconscious and covered in blood.
Part 1, Chapter 12 Summary: “Olivia”
Malachi has sex with Olivia on top of the unconscious Jamieson. She is horrified by the blood but finds herself aroused. Afterward, Olivia calls 911 and tells Malachi to run away. Malachi stays and lights a cigarette, as if he doesn’t care that he will soon be arrested. She doesn’t recognize Malachi, whose eyes are devoid of emotion, and fears that she will lose both Malachi and Jamieson. She asks the unconscious Jamieson to forgive her as Jennifer walks in. Soon, the paramedics take Jamieson away, and Malachi is taken by the police. Olivia wishes that it were a bad dream, but she knows that what has happened is reality.
Part 1, Chapter 13 Summary: “Olivia”
Jamieson survives, though he sustains brain damage from Malachi’s beatings. Because of this, he does not remember much about what happened. Malachi will be charged and tried, and Jennifer expects Olivia—the only eyewitness—to testify against him. Olivia tells Jennifer that she does not want Malachi to end up in prison; she argues that he needs psychiatric help, not incarceration.
Olivia’s defense of Malachi shocks Jennifer. Olivia does not know how to tell Jennifer that she feels partly responsible for the violence since she refused to listen to Malachi that day. Jennifer reminds Olivia that she and Jamieson rescued her from an abusive situation: Olivia’s biological parents had left her and her baby brother to starve; Olivia was found clutching her dead brother by social workers. Jennifer and Jamieson tried to heal that trauma by taking her in and giving her everything.
Though Olivia is outraged at Jennifer’s manipulation, she feels obliged to testify against Malachi. He is convicted of attempted murder and given an eight-year sentence. He writes to her from prison, alternately begging her to rescue him and threatening her with gruesome violence.
Olivia does not write back. She composes a letter once, confessing her love and apologizing for her testimony, but burns it. Sending the letter would give Malachi false hope for their future, and Olivia cannot fight Jennifer. Even though she loves Malachi, Olivia is resigned to a life complying with Jennifer’s wishes, marrying whomever Jennifer arranges for her. Therefore, she thinks that she and Malachi are done forever.
Part 1, Chapters 7-13 Analysis
These chapters delve into Malachi’s complex psyche, illustrating how the fear of losing Olivia spurs him to more extreme actions. Highlighting the theme of The Ethics of Taboo Romance, this section shows how breaking taboos can be seen as a symbolic way for a person to gain some power and control over a frightening reality. Because Malachi thinks of himself as “creepy” and “dead inside,” he is convinced that he can never have power in a mainstream social structure. The only way for him to gain power and control within society’s constraints is through violating society’s taboos. While both he and Olivia desire each other sexually, Malachi, in particular, likes to think of Olivia as his sister during intimate moments. Olivia indicates that she finds the brother/boyfriend conflation troublesome, but Malachi likes it. The text suggests that the incest taboo makes sex with Olivia more exciting for Malachi, enabling him to break a social order that never supported him.
The breaking of taboos is mirrored in other aspects of the narrative as well, in the context of such topics as privacy, death, and filial relationships. For instance, Malachi often thinks of having sex with Olivia in the presence of others. In Chapter 10, Olivia gives oral sex to Malachi; she is hidden from Jamieson’s view, but he can see that Malachi is engaged in sexual activity. In Chapter 11, Malachi refuses to stop giving Olivia oral sex even when Jamieson sees him. When Jamieson pulls Malachi off Olivia, he spits in Jamieson’s face, signing, “[Y]our daughter tastes […] delicious” (170). In an escalation of taboo violation, Malachi and Olivia have sexual intercourse for the first time on top of Jamieson’s unconscious, bleeding body. In symbolic terms, Malachi’s extreme action represents a total abandonment of society’s norms. However, the novel also indicates that Malachi may be dissociating during the scene, as he describes hitting Jamieson as “the void drawing [him] in” and seems unable to stop himself (170).
Described in graphic detail, the scene in which Malachi beats up Jamieson adds to the shock value of the narrative while simultaneously providing psychological depth to his character. While in Little Stranger, the same events recounted from Olivia’s perspective show Malachi as an unapologetic instigator, Malachi’s narrative reveals his inner conflict. For instance, even as he is hitting Jamieson, Malachi wants to ask Jamieson to shoot him, as he is out of control, but cannot form the words. This conflict foreshadows Malachi’s eventual redemption, an important plotline in the second part of the novel.
Olivia’s hesitation to testify against Malachi highlights how she is torn between filial duty and romantic love. It also raises the important issue of restorative versus retributive justice. Though Olivia knows that Malachi’s actions are heinous, she is not sure if punitive action is the best way to help Malachi. As she tells Jennifer, Malachi needs rehabilitation, not prison. Jennifer’s refusal to listen to Olivia’s concerns and her manipulation of Olivia foreshadow her antagonistic role in the novel. Underscoring the “beauty and the beast” archetype, Jennifer outright refers to Malachi as “a disgusting beast” (140). However, Olivia asserts to herself that Malachi is neither of these things, representing the hope of redemption for him.
Illustrating the theme of The Dynamics of Power and Control in Relationships, this section shows how both Olivia and Malachi use power play to negotiate their intense bond. To gain some measure of control over Malachi, Olivia gives him lessons in sex and romance. Her actions briefly flip the dynamic in which Malachi is usually the controlling one: The more sexually experienced Olivia is now the teacher, while Malachi is the student. Another twist in the power dynamic between Olivia and Malachi is that she, the female partner, has had more sexual partners, while Malachi only has sex with Olivia in the novel. In romance genre conventions, the male protagonist is usually more sexually active or experienced than the female one. While these twists allow Olivia agency over Malachi, Malachi establishes dominance over Olivia by repeatedly calling her “[his]” and paying little attention to her physical boundaries.
A key factor that contributes to Malachi’s violence is his perception of being “silenced,” another sign of The Impact of Past Trauma on Present Behaviors. Since Malachi has trouble forming words, he relies heavily on signing to be understood; for Malachi, being seen is linked to being heard. Whenever Olivia shuts her eyes or stops him from signing, Malachi feels doubly voiceless. In Chapter 11, an angry Olivia hits Malachi. He notes that he is okay with her hitting him, but “if she silences [him] one more time, [he’s] going to blow the fuck up” (162). This section ends with Olivia’s perspective, showing that she is resigned to a life without Malachi. Olivia’s resignation foreshadows Malachi’s return and also serves as a cliffhanger before Part 2 of the novel, building up the tension in the plot.
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