“Every single Eve employee was expected to build and maintain an online presence consistent with the magazine’s branding efforts.”

Chloe explains how, as chief editor of Eve, she must curate a social media persona that reinforces the magazine’s promotion of female empowerment. The theme of Public Image Versus Private Truth is highlighted as Chloe feels pressured to conceal the aspects of her life that contradict her role as a feminist icon, committed to sisterhood and defying patriarchal oppression.

“He had never been one to chase riches or keep up with the Joneses. When he graduated from law school, he probably could have landed a job at a decent-sized firm in Cleveland, earning a six-figure salary, but he wanted to be a prosecutor. Being on the side of justice was part of Adam’s identity. He told me once that it was his way of assuring himself he was nothing like his father, who had gone to prison a few times, but not for the crimes he was committing against his own wife and son when he wasn’t locked up.”

Chloe outlines how her husband’s identity is inextricably linked to the law. The satisfaction and sense of self-worth he gained in his role as a federal prosecutor sprang from his helping to deliver justice. The description of Adam valuing justice above material gain suggests he has a strong moral compass, developed in opposition to his father’s criminality. However, later events reveal that despite his public commitment to law and order, Adam is abusive to his wife and son, just like his father. His character illustrates The Corruption of Law and Justice in the novel.

“And the way I remember it, I told him that of course, I wasn’t bothered. I said something like, ‘I mean, you could always do the partnership thing at a big law firm if you wanted to, but you love your job. It’s what you do.’”

Chloe’s recollection of a conversation with Adam illustrates how the protagonist’s narrative attempts to present the best version of herself while often revealing more than she intends. Chloe depicts herself as supportive of her husband’s desire to remain in federal prosecution rather than taking a more lucrative role at a private law firm. However, her declaration that he “could always do the partnership thing at a big law firm” serves as a caveat, implying that this is her preference. The phrase “the way I remember it” suggests self-justification, hinting at Adam’s resentment of her stance.

“I couldn’t begin to calculate the number of hours I had spent reading online posts about myself in recent months. I woke up at least once a week from a nightmare built upon the words that had become a familiar part of my daily routine—die, rape, bitch, every possible description of my breasts and genitalia. But at some level, I must never have believed that I was in actual danger. Otherwise, Guidry’s question wouldn’t have caught me so off guard. Can you have enemies if you don’t know who they are?”

Chloe’s description of the abuse she receives on social media highlights the gendered nature of online trolling against high-profile women. The juxtaposition of “die, rape, bitch” emphasizes how online trolling of high-profile women inevitably involves misogyny and the evocation of sexual violence. Chloe’s observation that this abuse has “become a familiar part of my daily routine” conveys how profoundly disturbing misogynistic remarks have become a normalized part of online discourse.

“For a wife and a mother, there’s apparently no such thing as a ‘home office.’ Home meant Adam and Ethan wandering in whenever they couldn’t find something, had a question, or stumbled upon a movie on cable they thought I’d be interested in. It wasn’t until I tried to do my job under a shared roof with my family that I realized that neither Ethan nor even Adam truly understood that my job involved actual work.”

Chloe highlights the difficulty many women experience in achieving a balance between their work and family life. Although the East Hampton pool house is her designated home workspace, she faces constant interruptions from Ethan and Adam. Evoking Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own  (66), Burke contrasts Woolf’s assertion that a woman must have a space to work, free of domestic obligations, with the reality.

“A sure way to land in the Dutch oven was to fail whatever stereotypes the true crime junkies held for family members of the victims. The stepmom who went to the gym the same day of the kidnapping. The husband who smiled during the heart-wrenching interview. Too many social media posts was always a no-no. I remembered every single name I had helped grind through the mill, based on nothing other than the failure to meet fantasy expectations.”

As Adam’s widow, Chloe is acutely aware that she will face intense public scrutiny in the wake of her husband’s high-profile murder. The metaphor of a Dutch oven conveys the heat and pressure placed on individuals when they do not conform to the public’s view of appropriate behavior. Chloe’s recollection of the many innocent individuals she “helped grind through the mill” as a journalist reflects a sense of poetic justice while highlighting her concrete knowledge of what she is about to go through.

“I pictured the rug Adam had been so proud to find in the ABC clearance basement, now bloodied on a table somewhere in a crime lab.”

In this extract, Burke’s juxtaposition of the everyday and domestic (a rug connected to a specific family memory) with reminders of Adam’s murder (blood analysis in a crime lab) typifies the domestic noir genre. The contrasting imagery emphasizes the enormity of murder within the home, a space associated with sanctuary and safety. The passage also hints at the domestic violence that disrupts Adam and Chloe’s marriage.

“‘Admit it,’ she said. ‘You don’t like her or what she stands for, so you want her to be guilty.’ Guidry had read the entire series of articles for which Chloe Taylor was now famous, and she had wondered how long it would take for those stories to trickle their way into law enforcement.”

Detective Guidry recognizes that her partner, Detective Bowen, harbors a prejudice against Chloe due to her high-profile feminist voice. Bowen’s bias emphasizes that, like all human beings, those responsible for upholding the law are incapable of being entirely objective and impartial. The passage underscores Burke’s exploration of the intersection of law, justice, and corruption.

“I could see Ethan shrink from a sloppy second hug that lingered too long, and the way she touched his hair like he was a baby.”

Chloe’s account of Nicky’s reunion with Ethan emphasizes her subjective perspective as a narrator. Her tone is disdainful and critical as she observes that Nicky touches Ethan’s hair “like a baby” and describes her second hug as “sloppy,” suggesting that this display of maternal affection is inappropriate. Chloe’s belief that Ethan shrinks from Nicky’s touch conveys her desire to believe there is no genuine connection between him and his biological mother.

“So I know what it sounds like when people hear that I married my sister’s husband, but it wasn’t like that. I tried to warn her. She’s the one who decided to lose it all.”

Burke conveys Chloe’s flawed character and preoccupation with appearances as she acknowledges that the optics of marrying her sister’s husband reflect poorly on her character. Her assertion, “it wasn’t like that,” typifies the protagonist’s tendency toward self-justification—a sign of guilt. The declaration that Nicky was “the one who decided to lose it all” illustrates Chloe’s habit of blaming others rather than taking responsibility for her actions.

“Adam was furious when he found out, but I did what I needed to protect Ethan. Once the kid is labeled as trouble, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Chloe describes Adam’s anger after she saves Ethan from being expelled by claiming that she accidentally placed Adam’s gun in her stepson’s school bag. The incident highlights how Chloe’s instinct to protect Ethan from the consequences of his actions was a source of conflict in the marriage. Chloe’s assertion that she did not want Ethan to be permanently “labeled as trouble” is ironic, echoing the way Nicky’s label as the “bad sister” became “a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“How many times had I looked at Ethan, wanting to convince myself that he hadn’t inherited my sister’s worst traits? Yet I had to admit that one of the many things I loved about him was his take-no-prisoners sense of humor, which he certainly didn’t get from Adam or me.”

Chloe’s dread of Ethan inheriting his biological mother’s traits reflects her disapproval of Nicky and belief that she is better qualified to parent him. At the same time, she acknowledges that neither she nor Adam can take credit for her stepson’s sense of humor. Chloe’s admission that she loves the aspect of Ethan’s character that he inherited from Nicky illustrates the complex nature of her feelings about her sister, highlighting The Complexity of Family Dynamics.

“I stepped toward him and pulled him into my arms. To my surprise, Nicky did the same. Our kid was in trouble, and we both knew it.”

Here, Burke depicts Chloe and Nicky’s joint realization that Ethan is the prime suspect in the investigation of Adam’s murder. The author presents the first moment of unity between the sisters as they share a mutual desire to protect and comfort Ethan. Chloe’s use of the phrase “our kid” acknowledges for the first time that they both have a valid claim to motherhood.

“For so many years, I had been able to assure her that Ethan was happy, smart, thriving, funny—all the other adjectives that kept her content with the idea that she had basically lost her son, but that he was having a better life because of it. The few times he’d gotten in trouble, I thought I was handling the situation, protecting him from an overreaction. But now, here we are.”

The arrest of Ethan for his father’s murder forces Chloe to reexamine her perception of herself as a good parent. The protagonist experiences a self-reckoning as she wonders whether she enabled Ethan by protecting him from the consequences of his actions. At this point, the narrative encourages questioning Chloe’s presentation of herself as the “better sister.”

“Adam was a lawyer who had friends who were other lawyers who were willing to represent him for free, however long it took. And Nicky was…Nicky. She had no lawyer and no plan, only denials about the severity of what she had done.”

Reflecting on how Nicky lost custody of Ethan after the near-drowning incident, Chloe acknowledges the power imbalance involved. Adam was able to leverage his status as an attorney, utilizing both his knowledge of the law and his professional contacts to his advantage. By contrast, Nicky’s impotence is highlighted by defining her situation through the things she did not have (a lawyer and a plan). While Nicky’s “denials about the severity of what she had done” were accurate, Burke emphasizes that the truth carried no weight in the face of this inequity. Nicky’s plight highlights the theme of law, justice, and corruption.

“How could I sum up twenty years of feminist publishing without talking about the love I carried for the father who used to hit my mom when he drank too much, or the resentment I had for the mother who, in my view, had not done enough to protect herself or her daughters? And now that everyone knew the backstory to my marriage, I needed to write about my relationship with Nicky as well.”

Faced with writing her memoir, Chloe is forced to confront the contradictions between her public persona and her private life. The protagonist identifies her past pattern of siding with men (her father and Adam) while victim-blaming the female members of her family (her mother and Nicky). Chloe acknowledges that her attitude toward family members underscores her hypocrisy as a high-profile feminist.

“We also fell into a rhythm at the house. Usually I’d pick up stuff from Blue Heron, a former side-of-the-road farm stand that had grown into a posh gourmet market. But I’d learned by now that Nicky was actually a good cook. Whoever chose the menu did the cooking, while the other helped with prep and cleanup.”

As Chloe and Nicky await Ethan’s trial, they develop a domestic routine. Chloe’s use of the noun “rhythm” conveys an evolving sense of harmony between the sisters as they divide the chores and work together, rather than against each other. The passage not only highlights the sisters’ growing bond but also contrasts with the concealed disharmony of Chloe’s marriage to Adam.

“You never understood that you and I basically had different parents.”

Nicky’s assertion suggests that although she and Chloe grew up in the same household, they had completely different childhood experiences. As the younger child, Chloe was protected from witnessing the worst of her father’s abuse of their mother. The novel emphasizes the complexity of family dynamics as the sisters’ conflicting memories of their parents contribute to their resentment toward one another.

“I needed this jury to love me so much that they couldn’t possibly believe that I would raise a boy who would kill his father.”

Chloe’s desperation to make a good impression on the jury is typical of her character. Her belief that she can sway the outcome of the trial by making a good impression on the jurors demonstrates her continual efforts to control the public’s perception of herself and her family.

“I thought she was blaming Adam for her problems, just like she had always blamed our father. Even after I saw how Adam had changed over the last year, I never connected his anger—not once—to what had happened between him and Nicky. Maybe I just didn’t want to think of myself as being like Nicky.”

The protagonist experiences a moment of self-insight, examining her reluctance to accept that Adam abused both her and Nicky. Chloe’s continued belief that Nicky lied about Adam’s behavior, even after he became violent toward her, sprang from several biases. She liked to think she had nothing in common with her sister and habitually perceived Nicky as the creator of her own problems. Furthermore, believing Nicky’s claims would have undermined the foundations of Chloe’s life, identifying Adam as a serial abuser and challenging her right to become Ethan’s mother. The epiphany marks a key moment in Chloe’s character development.

“I realized I was biting my lower lip so hard I had drawn blood. The metallic taste was the same as the one time Adam punched me in the face with a closed fist.”

After Ethan reveals that Adam was abusing Chloe in court, Chloe’s response echoes the trauma she has been concealing from the outside world. Biting her lip is a manifestation of her anxiety and conveys the psychological strain of hiding her true emotions. The blood she draws by doing so underscores the brutal physical impact of domestic violence.

“I could tell from the disgusted looks on their faces that the jurors had believed me. In their eyes, I was a slut but not a liar.”

Chloe’s revelation of her affair with Jake Summer in court is a pivotal moment in the novel, securing Ethan’s acquittal and demonstrating the protagonist’s character arc. The decision marks Chloe’s relinquishment of control over her public image, as she knows the jury will morally judge her for her actions. Her willingness to be perceived as “a slut but not a liar” illustrates a new honesty, motivated by maternal love.

“As I watched him leave, Nicky and I glared at him, just like Olivia had us practice. After all, he was the man who must have killed my husband.”

After falsely suggesting that Jake Summer may be Adam’s killer, Chloe follows the instructions of Ethan’s attorney, Olivia Randall, glaring at the man she has betrayed and still loves. Burke emphasizes the key role of performance in the courtroom through Olivia’s coaching of her witnesses. The defense attorney’s tactics illustrate the morally gray aspects of the criminal justice system.