Verity
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summaries & Analyses
Author Insights
Quizzes
NEWReading Tools
Games
Character Analysis
Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, child abuse, child death, suicidal ideation, self-harm, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual content, mental illness, illness, and death.
Lowen Ashleigh
Lowen Ashleigh is the novel’s protagonist and primary narrator. The round and dynamic character’s growth reflects Verity’s combination of the romance and thriller genres; as Lowen gains confidence and finds love, she also descends into paranoia and violence. A writer of thrillers and suspense novels, Lowen is a 32-year-old woman living in New York City who has just lost her mother to cancer at the start of the novel. Hoover uses the protagonist’s backstory and initial negative relationship with herself to examine The Impact of Trauma. At first, she exists in a state of strict self-isolation Lowen and does not trust herself or others around her as a result of her traumatic experiences with sleepwalking.
Lowen’s transformation begins when she’s uprooted from the anonymity of her life in the city and placed in the tense atmosphere of Jeremy and Verity Crawford’s Vermont estate. The change of locations forces her to confront the demons she has been avoiding. Hoover advances the theme of How Writing Distorts the Line Between Fiction and Reality both through the terror and absolute belief that Verity’s fictionalized So Be It inspires in Lowen and through Lowen’s gradual supplanting of Verity in both the woman’s personal and professional lives. Over the course of the novel, she edits out Verity and takes her place as the leading lady in her husband’s life. Through her intense relationship with Jeremy and her burgeoning sense of empowerment, Lowen learns to confront the most difficult emotions to protect herself and those she loves. Verity’s murder, in which Lowen is an accomplice, is initially presented as an act of justice that clears the way for the central couple to start a new life together. However, Hoover subverts the customary feel-good, happy ending of romances through the ultimate revelation that Lowen encouraged Jeremy to kill an innocent woman.
Verity Crawford
Verity Crawford is the novel’s titular character and Jeremy’s wife. Throughout much of the story, she seemingly haunts Lowen, the co-writer who has been assigned the task of finishing the remaining three books in Verity’s series. A prolific and successful author, Verity turns to writing to cope with the impact of trauma. In the wake of her daughters’ deaths, she channels her feelings of guilt and grief into antagonistic journaling exercises in which she writes about her family’s tragedies as though they are her doing. Her “autobiography” paints a picture of an obsessive, “sex-crazed” woman who will do anything to maintain her position as the most important figure in her husband’s life. Estranged from her religious family, Verity appears to embody a selfish disregard for maternal responsibility in her pursuit of her husband’s full attention.
Verity’s name, which means truth, uses irony to call attention to the novel’s central preoccupation with how writing distorts the line between fiction and reality. In So Be It, Verity is a deliberately unreliable narrator because the manuscript is an exercise in antagonistic journaling that records “the opposite from what [she] was actually thinking at the time” (298). However, Lowen unquestioningly accepts the manuscript as a genuine confession of Verity’s purportedly malevolent thoughts and deeds, and her perspective colors the reader’s understanding of the character. Verity’s words hold power throughout the novel as she influences the actions of those around her, but her skill as a writer is also her undoing. Lowen and Jeremy believe her manuscript is an accurate reflection of events, not a fictional writing exercise exploring her own dark emotions and guilt, and so they feel justified in murdering her.
Jeremy Crawford
Jeremy Crawford is Verity’s husband and Lowen’s love interest. At first, Hoover portrays him as a devoted husband and father who attempts to carry the burden of everyone around him, but this idealized image is complicated by his affair with Lowen and by the revelation of his violent deeds as the story progresses. A fierce protector, he maintains a steadfast focus on doing what is best for his one remaining child, his son Crew. Jeremy feels an instant connection to Lowen by way of their shared grief and experiences of the impact of trauma. He attempts to quell his growing desire for Lowen but is unable to deny their emotional bond. He begins to rely on Lowen’s guidance and support.
Jeremy emerges as a key figure in the theme of Violence as a Release. Following the death of his second child, Jeremy struggles with a growing mistrust toward his wife, who was present at the time of Harper’s death. This mistrust leads Jeremy to take irrevocable and violent action that he believes will avenge Harper’s death. He orchestrates a car accident in an effort to kill his wife and then murders her by asphyxiation after his first attempt fails. Unaware that his actions were based on a fictional writing exercise, Jeremy can move forward with minimal guilt for murdering Verity while the protagonist and the reader carry the truth of Verity’s innocence.
Unlock analysis of every major character
Get a detailed breakdown of each character’s role, motivations, and development.
- Explore in-depth profiles for every important character
- Trace character arcs, turning points, and relationships
- Connect characters to key themes and plot points
Related Titles
By Colleen Hoover
