The novel opens with a tense car ride as Amelia Wright drives her husband, Adam Wright, to a remote Scottish chapel for a marriage-saving weekend. The worsening snowstorm mirrors the state of their relationship, strained by distance and unspoken resentments. Adam's prosopagnosia, or face blindness, further isolates them, contributing to Amelia's feelings of invisibility.
Chapter 1: Amelia
Amelia reflects on how far they've drifted, admitting she's no longer the woman Adam fell in love with. Their journey is fraught with tension, escalating after Amelia swerves to avoid a stag. During the ensuing argument, Adam searches for his phone, unaware that Amelia has deliberately hidden it, planning to "teach my husband an important lesson this weekend." This act introduces the theme of secrets and deception.
They arrive at Blackwater Chapel, an eerie and isolated converted church. The doors are initially locked, but mysteriously swing open as they circle the building, adding a layer of foreboding to their arrival.
Chapter 2: Adam
The perspective shifts to Adam, who is immediately suspicious of the mysteriously opened doors. He learns the trip was won in a raffle, fueling his distrust. Adam prefers the escape of his screenwriting to the reality of his failing marriage. He views their relationship as a performance, the passion long gone. His prosopagnosia is a source of deep anxiety, a hidden burden he fears will make him a "freak." This condition becomes a physical manifestation of the theme of identity and misperception.
Inside the chapel, the atmosphere is unsettling. Dozens of mismatched mirrors distort their reflections, and stag skulls adorn the walls. Adam notices a smiley face drawn in the dust on an old church bench, which he did not draw. Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors slam shut behind them, seemingly on their own. Adam questions Amelia's explanation of the wind, revealing his own unhappiness and a secret plan for their marriage that he now questions.
Chapter 3: Rock (October 2007)
This chapter takes the form of an anniversary letter from "Your future wife" to Adam, dated thirteen years prior. The letter contrasts sharply with the present, depicting a whirlwind romance. She recounts their "meet-cute" at the Electric Cinema, the charm of his cluttered apartment, and her discovery of his screenplay, Rock Paper Scissors. This screenplay inspires her to write these annual letters, highlighting the theme of truth, fiction, and storytelling.
The letter details the origin of their dog, Bob, rescued from Battersea Dogs Home. Adam initially resisted getting a dog, but then surprised her by adopting Bob himself. The puppy's collar bore a tag asking, "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" Amelia suggested they decide with a game of rock-paper-scissors, a tradition from his screenplay. She won with scissors, "just like they always do." The letter introduces their tradition of "word of the day" and proposes "limerence" as their "word of the year," capturing the intense romantic intoxication of their early relationship. This flashback emphasizes how much they've lost, underscoring the theme of the inescapable past.
Chapter 4: Adam
Back in the present, Adam admits he slammed the chapel doors shut out of frustration and then blamed the wind. This confirms his deceptiveness. He and Amelia, along with Bob, explore the chapel, finding a vast kitchen and a library dominated by a spiral staircase and a large stone fireplace. Adam lights the fire to combat the cold.
A tree branch scrapes against a window, resembling a "skeletal hand." Amelia asks for music, prompting Adam to confront her about his missing phone. He reveals to the reader that he saw Amelia hide his phone before they left, confirming her deception and deepening his suspicion. He doesn't know why she is lying, but he knows she is, solidifying the atmosphere of mistrust.
Chapter 5: Amelia
The narrative shifts back to Amelia's perspective. As Adam tends to the fire, she searches the kitchen for food, finding it strangely equipped with only two of everything. While searching, she reflects on her job at Battersea, recalling an unsuitable potential dog owner. This reinforces her protective nature and her motto: "Nobody goes to a home where they won’t really be loved on my watch."
Amelia's thoughts drift to her past as an orphan, never knowing her parents, who died in a car crash. This backstory explains her fear of abandonment, her difficulty trusting, and her attachment to old, reliable things. Her life has been a flight from foster homes, making her desperate to hold onto her family with Adam, however broken.
Adam easily opens a door to a larder that Amelia found locked. Inside, they discover not food, but a disturbing collection of tools, saws, and axes. A humming chest freezer contains individually portioned, homemade frozen meals. Their attention is then drawn to a wooden trapdoor in the floor, which Adam believes leads to a crypt, adding another layer of gothic horror.
Character Development
- Amelia Wright: Initially presented as a wife trying to save her marriage, she's quickly revealed to be deceptive. Her backstory as an orphan explains her fear of abandonment and protective nature.
- Adam Wright: Portrayed as a successful but emotionally distant screenwriter who uses his work as an escape. His prosopagnosia is a central part of his identity and a source of social anxiety. He is revealed to be just as deceptive as Amelia, lying about small things and harboring his own secret plans for their marriage.
- The Marriage: The relationship is on the verge of collapse. The narrative contrasts a romantic, idealized past (the 2007 letter) with a present filled with bitterness, resentment, and mutual deception.
Themes & Symbols
- Secrets and Deception: Amelia hides Adam's phone, and Adam lies about slamming the chapel door. Both keep crucial thoughts and plans hidden.
- Marriage and Betrayal: The trip is a symptom of a broken marriage. The characters' internal monologues are filled with resentment and a sense of betrayal.
- The Inescapable Past: The 2007 anniversary letter haunts their present. Amelia's traumatic origins shape her fears and actions.
- The Chapel: The isolated chapel symbolizes their marriage: a once-sacred space now cold, dusty, and filled with secrets.
- The Snowstorm: The blizzard manifests the emotional turmoil within the marriage, isolating them and creating a sense of danger.
- Mirrors: The mismatched mirrors symbolize fractured identities and the distorted ways Adam and Amelia see each other.
Key Quotes
"teach my husband an important lesson this weekend."
Amelia's internal monologue reveals her manipulative intentions from the outset. This statement foreshadows the escalating conflict and the power dynamics at play in their relationship.
"limerence"
The "word of the year" from the anniversary letter encapsulates the obsessive, intoxicating love they once shared. Its inclusion highlights the stark contrast between their past and present, emphasizing the depth of their loss.
Significance
These opening chapters establish the novel's key elements: the claustrophobic setting, the unreliable narrators, and the central conflict of a marriage decaying from within. By introducing deception on both sides, the reader cannot fully trust either protagonist. The anniversary letter creates dramatic irony and pathos by contrasting the couple's romantic past with their toxic present. This section lays the foundation for the mysteries to come.