Laurel's journey takes a dark turn as unsettling revelations begin to surface, transforming her pursuit of happiness into a quest for truth. As she navigates a web of coincidences and conflicting accounts, the line between the past and present blurs, casting a shadow of doubt on her newfound relationships. The idyllic facade of her new life begins to crumble, replaced by a growing sense of unease and the chilling realization that the past may be repeating itself in the most disturbing ways.
Chapter 21: A Breath of Fresh Air
Laurel Mack visits her ailing mother, who confesses she was holding on for Laurel's sake. Now that Ellie Mack's remains are found and Laurel seems happy, she feels she can finally let go, highlighting the theme of Grief, Loss, and Moving On. Later, Laurel takes Poppy Dunn shopping, where Poppy's cynical, nihilistic views on life's meaninglessness startle Laurel. When asked about her mother, Poppy dismissively describes her as "mean and ugly and neglectful" with red hair that "smelled of chips."
The shopping trip becomes increasingly unsettling as Laurel experiences a moment of vertigo, momentarily seeing Ellie in Poppy's place. While trying on clothes, Laurel helps Poppy style a new outfit—a flannel shirt over leggings—and undoes her neat plaits. The transformation is shocking; Poppy looks uncannily like Ellie. Laurel realizes with a jolt that she has "dressed this child up as her dead daughter," a powerful and unnerving symbol of the past bleeding into the present. Despite Laurel's shock, Poppy loves the new look and suggests that Laurel, too, should break out of her somber wardrobe.
Chapter 22: Happy Families
Wearing a new floral dress, Laurel meets her daughter Hanna Mack before a family birthday dinner. She accidentally says "Ellie helped me choose it" instead of "Poppy," revealing how deeply the girls are becoming conflated in her mind. At the restaurant, they meet Floyd Dunn and Poppy. Soon after, Laurel’s ex-husband Paul Mack, his new partner Bonny, their son Jake, and his girlfriend Blue arrive. The meeting, which Laurel dreaded, goes surprisingly well, with Bonny being warm and kind, and Paul and Floyd finding common ground.
The evening takes a strange turn when Poppy delivers a poised speech about Laurel, love, and "happy families." Paul gives Laurel a "whatthefuck" look across the table, unnerved by the performance. Later, Paul gives Laurel The Goldfinch for her birthday. Poppy excitedly reveals she has read it and launches into a summary, then says something chilling:
"Stories... are the only thing in this world that are real. Everything else is just a dream."
This is almost identical to something Ellie used to say. As they leave, Paul remarks on the eerie similarities, calling Floyd and Poppy a "lookalike family" and noting how much Floyd resembles him and Poppy resembles Ellie, solidifying the growing unease surrounding Laurel's new relationship.
Chapter 23: One Degree of Separation
The morning after the dinner, Floyd declares he is falling for Laurel, saying he is in the "can't-live-without-you zone." While flattered, Laurel remains cautious. Downstairs, she finds a letter addressed to a "Miss Noelle Donnelly," a name that seems vaguely familiar. After lunch with friends, she returns to find "Return to Sender" on the envelope. She asks Floyd about the name, and he confirms that Noelle Donnelly was Poppy's mother.
Laurel learns from Floyd that Noelle was an Irish maths tutor who worked locally. The detail clicks into place: Noelle Donnelly was also Ellie's maths tutor for a brief period just before she disappeared. Floyd dismisses it as a "remarkable coincidence," but Laurel is deeply unsettled. She calls Hanna to ask if she remembers the tutor. Hanna does, but her memory starkly contradicts Laurel's. While Laurel remembers Ellie thinking Noelle was a "savior," Hanna insists that Ellie found her "weird and creepy" and that this was the real reason she stopped the lessons. This introduces a major crack in Laurel's new reality, suggesting a web of Deception and Hidden Truths.
Chapter 24: A Dark Aura
Laurel's unease escalates when she receives a strange phone call from her son Jake's girlfriend, Blue. Blue, who claims to have a "sixth sense," warns Laurel that Floyd's "aura is all wrong" and that he is "hiding something." Laurel angrily dismisses the warning, accusing Jake of being Blue's "lapdog" and refusing to let them undermine her happiness. The conversation ends badly, leaving Laurel shaken.
The next evening at Floyd's, his daughter Sara-Jade Virtue (SJ) is there, upset after a fight with her mother. SJ confesses to Laurel that she is having an affair with a 49-year-old married man. Laurel offers surprisingly gentle counsel, drawing from her own past. The conversation then shifts to Ellie. SJ reveals she has been researching the case online and raises astute questions about the official narrative, particularly about why Ellie's rucksack, found years later, contained only her original belongings. Just as SJ is about to reveal "something really strange, about Poppy's mum," Floyd enters the room with tea, cutting the crucial conversation short.
Chapter 25: Bunny Boiler
Haunted by the mounting coincidences and warnings, Laurel feels a desperate need to be in her own space. Back at her house, she pulls out a box of Ellie's belongings and begins reading her old diaries. She finds the entries detailing Ellie's experience with her maths tutor, Noelle Donnelly. At first, Ellie is enthusiastic, but the tone quickly sours. She describes Noelle as "intense" and "weird," culminating in a final, damning entry:
"Think I’m over this now. She really freaks me out sometimes... Am going to ask Mum to cancel her. I can do this by myself. Don’t need bunny boilers in my life."
That night, Laurel confronts Floyd, telling him what Ellie wrote. Floyd launches into a story that paints him as the victim. He claims Noelle was a "maths groupie" who became obsessed with him after he wrote a popular book. He describes her as a "leech" he couldn't get rid of, who trapped him by getting pregnant. According to Floyd, when he finally ended their toxic relationship, Noelle became the "bunny boiler," harassing him before eventually abandoning Poppy on his doorstep and disappearing. The story is smooth and self-serving, but as Laurel looks at the veal on her plate, she finds she has lost her appetite, her instincts screaming that something is profoundly wrong.
Key Events
- Poppy's uncanny resemblance to Ellie becomes increasingly apparent, disturbing Laurel.
- Poppy recites a quote about books and reality that Ellie used to say, unsettling Laurel and Paul.
- Laurel learns that Poppy's mother, Noelle Donnelly, was also Ellie's maths tutor.
- Ellie's diary reveals she found Noelle "creepy" and labeled her a "bunny boiler."
- Blue warns Laurel that Floyd has a "dark aura" and is hiding something.
- Floyd claims Noelle was an obsessed fan who abandoned him and Poppy.
Character Development
- Laurel Mack: Laurel's journey of Grief, Loss, and Moving On is complicated by disturbing revelations. She transitions from seeking happiness to becoming an amateur detective, questioning Floyd's past and digging into Ellie's diaries.
- Poppy Dunn: Poppy is revealed as a complex and unsettling character. Her intelligence, cynicism, and similarities to Ellie move her from a charming child to a central figure in the mystery.
- Floyd Dunn: Floyd's facade as the perfect partner begins to crack. Blue's warning and his self-serving story about Noelle cast him in a suspicious light, suggesting Deception and Hidden Truths.
- Noelle Donnelly: Though absent, Noelle is constructed through conflicting memories, described as ugly, creepy, and obsessive, becoming a mysterious figure at the heart of the story.
Themes & Symbols
- Deception and Hidden Truths: This theme dominates as Floyd's narrative about Noelle, conflicting accounts of Ellie's relationship with her tutor, and a general sense of unease point to a carefully constructed lie.
- Obsession and Psychological Manipulation: Ellie's diary entry labeling Noelle a "bunny boiler" introduces the theme of obsession, leading the reader to question who the true manipulator is and how this connects to Ellie.
- The "Lookalike Family": Paul's observation symbolizes that Laurel's new life is not a fresh start but a distorted reflection of her lost family, creating a sense of uncanny replacement.
- Ellie's Diaries: The diaries symbolize the buried truth, a tangible link to Ellie's final weeks and objective evidence contradicting the stories Laurel has been told.
Significance
These chapters mark a turning point, shifting the narrative from grief and recovery to a psychological thriller. The romance between Laurel and Floyd is dismantled by too many "coincidences." The central mystery is now linked to the question of who Floyd, Poppy, and Noelle truly are. The revelation that Noelle tutored Ellie connects all the characters and establishes that their meeting was not random, creating intense suspense and repositioning Floyd as a potential villain.
Analysis
Lisa Jewell uses dramatic irony and foreshadowing to build dread. The reader pieces together clues alongside Laurel, often with greater foreboding. The "bunny boiler" reference is misdirection; Laurel and the reader are led to believe it describes Noelle's obsession with Floyd, but its placement in Ellie's diary suggests its true context is Noelle's obsession with Ellie.
Jewell also employs conflicting narratives to create unreliability. Laurel's memory of Ellie's tutor is rosy, while Hanna's is negative. Floyd's story about Noelle is self-pitying, while Ellie's diary paints Noelle as frightening. This forces Laurel—and the reader—to question every character's version of the truth. The repetition of details, such as Poppy's quote about books, functions as a supernatural clue, suggesting Ellie's spirit is trying to communicate. This blend of psychological suspense and gothic unease makes these chapters unsettling and propels the narrative toward its dark conclusion.