No Place Left to Hide

The world presented at the beginning of the novel is flipped on its head as the climax of the novel draws closer, and none of the central characters are free from blame. In the present, Brooke appears to be a victim, being threatened and nearly killed by her aggressors for unknown reasons. Reinforcing her classist entitlement, she hopes that her family name will bring a swift end to her terror, but it instead acts against her, as the officer’s disdain for the Goodwins blocks Brooke’s chances of getting away with speeding. This reflects the theme of How Class and Privilege Determine Consequences. The officer’s skepticism works against Brooke when she doesn’t believe Brooke’s story. In the moment, there’s little to corroborate it, as the Bronco is out of sight and the missed calls have been erased. But this proves to be of little consequence when Brooke learns that her attacker isn’t Brandon but rather two unknown assailants and that Jena has something to do with it.

When Jena confesses to playing a part in the harassment, Brooke’s building sense of alienation reaches its peak, leaving her firmly isolated and even less emotionally stable than before. As Jena explains herself, Brooke thinks, “I can feel myself closing off, shutting down. It’s not even worth responding, but I honestly don’t know what I would say. Jena is supposed to be my best friend in the entire world. I don’t even know the person sitting beside me right now” (223-24). Her thoughts seem ironic when she thinks over Jena’s words—“It’s like you have no conscience at all” (224)—and doesn’t understand why Jena would feel this way about her. She only focuses on how hurt she is, not on how Jena may have been hurt by taking the blame for Brooke’s actions. This reveals how self-centered and out of touch Brooke can be. It also reveals the depth of her obsession with preserving her family’s good name—to the exclusion of caring about anyone or anything else. The theme of Crafting a Public Persona to Hide Secrets is most relevant here, as the narrative shows what happens when someone loses their identity in the persona they’ve created.

Claire is equally self-centered, but her request that Brooke not drive the boat is sincere, as she knows how easily Brooke—drunk and with no boating license—could hurt herself or Jena. This proves that while Claire did want to emotionally, financially, or professionally hurt the Goodwins, her aims never included serious physical harm. Brooke notices “a fear I’m not used to seeing [Claire’s] eyes” (198), which is almost enough to convince her not to drive the boat; however, Claire insults her shortly after, erasing her momentary doubt. This moment shows that neither girl can rise above her obsessions or pride in this critical moment. If both had decided to back down or consider the other’s perspective, the accident would not have happened, and Brooke would not have drowned Claire. But their own mixtures of pride, self-absorption, and ambition made the outcome inevitable. 

The climax resonates with the theme of Ambition Versus Morality and mirrors the plot trajectory of 19th-century gothic novels. The quarrel between the girls reflects that of their powerful families. The Hecks and the Goodwins, much like the aristocratic families of gothic novels, are involved in a power struggle that ends in the Hecks’ disgrace. Afterward, Brooke must maintain her family’s supremacy while Claire suffers through her family’s defeat. In classic gothic fashion, this scenario has warped both of their worldviews, locking them in a struggle that can only end in mutual destruction. Gothic imagery in the lake scene—the moon “flickers” between the clouds and “glitters” across the dark water—heightens the narrative tension and raises the emotional stakes.

The present day layers in another consequence of their struggle: Jena. She was an innocent bystander, blamed to cover up Brooke’s involvement. Jena has no class privilege or social status, nothing to prevent her from being set up to take the blame. To Brooke and her family, blaming Jena is a victimless crime. She doesn’t face legal repercussions, but they don’t even consider that she has a reputation or feelings that could be hurt. 

The past and present-day climaxes meet when Brooke finally reveals through flashback that her crime was not merely hosting the party where Claire died or driving the boat that led to an accidental drowning: Brooke actually murdered Claire. Struggling under the pressure placed upon her by her strict family, Brooke has felt suffocated and closely perceived for her entire life. This, in addition to her family’s longtime feud with the Hecks, leads her to fixate on Claire as the source of all negativity in her life, rather than placing the blame where it belongs—on parents’ who care more about their public image than their child’s well-being. 

As Claire struggles in the lake and threatens to pull Brooke by grabbing her, the situation acts as a metaphor for what Brooke has always feared: Claire’s very existence drags her down, keeping her from achieving her goals and living her life. Claire moving away wasn’t enough; by coming to the party, she proved that she would always come back to torment Brooke. Brooke concludes that the only way to be released from this conflict is to take Claire out of the picture permanently. By this point, her emotional and psychological state are compromised, and she only sees the crisis through the lens of her obsession. After drowning Claire, she describes: “I kick her further down and float at the surface for a second, letting the weightlessness of this moment sink into my very bones. I’m finally free” (228). The text doesn’t use Brooke’s non-rational state to condemn or excuse her actions—it leaves that task to readers.