Chapter 12: Leather
In a letter dated February 28, 2011, Amelia Wright reflects on her third anniversary with Adam Wright, recounting a film industry party at Tower Bridge. She details her role in helping Adam, who suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness), navigate social events. This allows Adam, a successful screenwriter, to maintain his charming public persona, a stark contrast to the quiet man he is at home.
The party's main purpose is Adam's hope of convincing the reclusive author Henry Winter to let him adapt another novel. Amelia dreads the evening, especially upon seeing Henry's name on the guest list. Throughout the night, Adam obsessively asks if she has spotted Henry. In a moment of deception, Amelia lies, claiming Henry isn't there, even though she sees him multiple times and notices that he seems to be trying to get Adam’s attention. The letter concludes with a passionate encounter between Amelia and Adam back home, followed by her reflection on the secrets they keep from each other.
Chapter 13: Amelia
Back in the present, Adam and Amelia are in the chapel, recovering from a scare after realizing the eyes they saw belong to sheep. Adam locks the heavy chapel door with an old key. As the storm rages outside, Amelia feels homesick and thinks about their life in Hampstead. She reflects on Adam's journey from a working-class background to a successful writer who has effectively erased his own past, exemplifying The Inescapable Past.
Amelia feels like a "first draft" compared to her husband's polished success, revealing her insecurities about her place in their affluent world. Adam dismisses her fear about the smashed wine bottle and the face in the window, telling her to "relax." This dismissal only heightens Amelia's anxiety, as she is certain she saw something real and can't shake the feeling of being watched.
Chapter 14: Robin
The narrative shifts to Robin, who reveals herself as the person Amelia saw at the window. Robin lives in a small cottage nearby and has been observing the couple since their arrival. She considers them foolish for traveling in such a dangerous storm, suggesting they wanted to be cut off from the world.
Robin watched Adam and Amelia arrive, find the chapel locked, and struggle in the cold. She implies that she let them inside. She then spied on them through the windows, observing what appeared to be a romantic scene by the fire. However, she cynically notes that "looks can be deceiving," hinting at a deeper knowledge of the couple or a general mistrust of appearances. Robin's presence confirms Amelia's fears and introduces a new, mysterious element to the narrative.
Chapter 15: Amelia
Inside the chapel, Adam suggests they retrieve another bottle of wine from the crypt, challenging Amelia to go down herself to conquer her fear. Motivated by a "feminist backbone," Amelia agrees.
She descends the stone steps into the dark, musty crypt. The air is thick with a pungent dampness. She finds a light switch, which illuminates the stone chamber with an eerie green glow. She sees wine racks and rusted metal rings embedded in the wall, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Just as she locates a bottle of wine, the light goes out, and the heavy trapdoor slams shut above her, plunging her into total darkness and trapping her below.
Chapter 16: Robin
The narrative returns to Robin earlier that day. She recounts her monthly shopping trip to the nearby village of Hollowgrove to stock up on supplies before the storm. The shelves are mostly bare from panic buying, but she manages to get essentials, including tinned spaghetti, cheese, and several jars of baby food—a peculiar purchase for a woman who lives alone.
While at the store, she silently judges the cashier, Patty, revealing her own isolation and judgmental nature. She returns to her small cottage, a place that once served as a sanctuary for her and her mother during a difficult childhood. She reflects on her meager possessions, many of which she has stolen from various cafes and pubs, revealing a habit of kleptomania.
Chapter 17: Robin
As the storm cuts the power to her cottage, Robin makes a fire and cooks tinned baked beans for dinner. She then spoons the contents of a baby food jar into a bowl for an unseen companion. She sits in her armchair, smoking a "borrowed" pipe and listening to a radio report about storm-related accidents, thinking how lucky the visitors were to arrive safely.
From her window, she watches the chapel, noting that its lights are still on because it has a generator. She waits patiently, listening to the storm. Later, she sees that the chapel is now in complete darkness and muses that the visitors' "good luck might be about to change." The chapter ends with Robin hearing tiny footsteps behind her and seeing that the bowl of baby food has been licked clean, deepening the mystery of who—or what—is with her in the cottage.
Key Events
- Anniversary Revelation: Amelia's letter from 2011 reveals Adam's face blindness, his professional desperation, and Amelia's lie about Henry Winter.
- Robin's Introduction: The introduction of Robin establishes her as the "face in the window" who has been secretly watching Adam and Amelia.
- Amelia's Entrapment: Adam coaxes Amelia into the chapel's crypt, where she becomes trapped after the trapdoor slams shut.
- Power Outage: Robin observes from her cottage as the chapel's lights, powered by a generator, suddenly go out.
Character Development
- Amelia Wright: Her past deception is revealed, showing that Marriage and Betrayal is not one-sided. In the present, her feelings of inadequacy and fear are amplified by the isolating setting and Adam's dismissive behavior.
- Adam Wright: The anniversary letter highlights his dependence on Amelia and his intense professional ambition. In the present, his actions become suspicious, particularly when he sends Amelia into the crypt just before she is trapped.
- Robin: Introduced as a mysterious and potentially unreliable narrator. She is a recluse with a troubled past, kleptomaniac tendencies, and an unclear motive for watching the Wrights. The baby food suggests she is not entirely alone.
Themes & Symbols
- Secrets and Deception: Amelia's lie to Adam about Henry Winter in the anniversary letter highlights this theme. Robin’s secret observation of the couple and her hidden past further underscore it.
- The Inescapable Past: Adam tries to erase his working-class past, while Robin lives in the shadow of hers, inhabiting the cottage that was once a refuge for her and her mother.
- Identity and Misperception: Adam’s prosopagnosia is a literal manifestation of this theme. Robin misjudges the couple's relationship from afar, seeing a "romantic scene" where there is deep-seated tension.
The storm, the crypt, and the baby food all take on symbolic weight:
- The Storm: The blizzard mirrors the internal turmoil within Adam and Amelia’s marriage and the escalating danger of their situation.
- The Crypt: The dark, underground space symbolizes buried secrets, repressed fears, and the hidden darkness within the characters' relationships.
- Baby Food: This recurring detail in Robin's chapters is a powerful symbol of a hidden responsibility or a past trauma related to a child, adding a layer of mystery to her character.
Significance
This section marks a major turning point in the novel with the introduction of Robin, the third narrator. Her perspective reframes the story, confirming that Amelia is being watched and adding an external threat to the conflict between the couple. The anniversary letter provides crucial backstory, revealing the cracks in the Wrights' marriage and establishing Amelia's capacity for deception. The section ends on a cliffhanger with Amelia trapped in the crypt, escalating the suspense and casting suspicion on Adam.
Key Quotes
"I lied, Adam. I told you he wasn’t there. But he was. I saw him."
Amelia's confession in the anniversary letter reveals a deliberate act of deception that undermines the foundation of her marriage. This lie highlights the theme of Secrets and Deception and foreshadows the present-day tensions between Adam and Amelia.
"Looks can be deceiving."
Robin's cynical observation after watching Adam and Amelia by the fire suggests a deeper understanding of their relationship or a general mistrust of appearances. This quote underscores the theme of Identity and Misperception and hints at Robin's role as an unreliable narrator.
Analysis
Alice Feeney uses shifting perspectives to build suspense and manipulate the reader's understanding of events. The transition from Amelia's fearful present-day narration to her deceptive voice in the anniversary letter creates a complex protagonist. The introduction of Robin as an unreliable narrator further destabilizes the narrative. The setting of the isolated chapel during a storm amplifies the psychological tension. The claustrophobic crypt serves as a metaphor for Amelia's feeling of being trapped in her marriage. The juxtaposition of the London party in the past with the dangerous present in Scotland highlights the decay of the Wrights' relationship.