Parents Weekend

Part 4 provides resolutions for many of the book’s conflicts, both internal and external. Although the primary conflict between the five missing students and their abductors, Mr. and Mrs. Belov, ends with three people dead, four of the five students who thought they wouldn’t make it out alive end up surviving, forever marked by the trauma of their experience. Finlay’s resolution paints both of the story’s antagonists, Mr. Belov and Professor Turlington, as flawed and nuanced humans, rather than purely evil, underscoring The Duality of Public Perception Versus Private Reality. Mr. Belov acts out of grief over the victimization and death of his daughter, and Professor Turlington leaves behind a wife and two infants who loved and relied on him. Felix, perhaps the gentlest of the students, is ironically the one student who loses his life to violence, ending the narrative on a somber note. The varied resolutions of the different marital conflicts—David and Nina split up, Ken and Amy rekindle their love for each other, and Hank and Cynthia learn to get along better and become more effective co-parents—reinforce the notion that family secrets will eventually come to light, but not without damage being done.

In the aftermath of parents weekend, a new conflict emerges: The students and their parents must contend with the effects of trauma and grief. The fact that Part 4 occurs three years later positions it as an epilogue to the story. Several characters demonstrate that dealing with trauma has helped them confront other conflicts in their lives. Libby’s choice to work for St. Jude’s, for example, shows she’s found a personally meaningful way to cope with her grief over her brother’s death. For his part, Blane uses humor to cope with what happened, “and to deal with everything else, for that matter” (290), but he’s learned to be serious about his future. His choice to follow in his mother’s footsteps demonstrates that he’s come to admire her strength and fierce protectiveness after going through an ordeal that demanded those very traits.

The setting of the final scene, a bonfire at Panther Beach, echoes the night that led to tragedy three years prior, the night of Natasha’s death. Fire is often symbolically associated with purification, transformation, and renewal. The students’ actions—coming together around the fire, paying tribute, and disappearing into the night—symbolize their acceptance of what happened and their triumph over it. It’s a symbolic ritual of cleansing and healing, allowing them to move on with their lives while still acknowledging their loss and honoring the lives of their friends.