Plot Points
What tragic event sets the story into motion?
David's suicide
This character struggles to please their mother
David
What is the quote Cass uses to describe the power of language?
"Words are weapons"
What major theme is explored through Cass’s note and its impact on David’s mental health?
Power of words/verbal cruelty
The detectives are working against this constraint while searching for Cass.
The clock/time
Cass is buried with what object?
A walkie-talkie
What does Cass do/uses what to manipulate others?
Words, psychological manipulation, head tilt/grin
What is Kyle’s justification for kidnapping Cass?
He says this to justify burying Cass alive, believing she caused his brother’s death.
The coffin that Cass is buried in is symbolic of what broader idea?
Being trapped by guilt, trauma, or emotional isolation
Kyle blames Cass for his brother’s death after finding what?
Cass's note
Kyle kidnapped Cass in retaliation to this
Cass's note she wrote about David asking her out
Kyle shows this mental state throughout the novel
Emotional instability, trauma
Who said this quote: "You're the kind of person who talks people into jumping off ledges just to watch them fall."
Kyle
Cass’s ability to talk her way through situations represents what recurring theme in the book? (think about what she uses throughout the novel)
Manipulation/use of language as power
Kyle used what method to kidnap Cass?
While buried, Cass begins to manipulate Kyle by doing this repeatedly during their conversations
Psychoanalyzing him / bringing up his relationship with his mother
Kyle's emotional instability is rooted in this key relationship (who?) from his childhood
His relationship with his mother
Who said this quote: "You don’t just push people’s buttons, you jam your finger down on them." And who are they talking to?
Kyle is talking to Cass about her manipulative ways
What theme is shown through both Cass’s and Kyle’s families, where image and control matter more than love or communication?
Toxic family dynamics/parental neglect
Which detective is known for their calm demeanor and logical thinking during the investigation?
Ben
During her captivity, Cass uses this specific strategy to survive psychologically and emotionally
Staying mentally active through manipulation, analysis, and storytelling
Kyle can be considered both a villain and a victim because of these two key influences
Emotional abuse by his mother and his brother's suicide
Who said this? "When you grow up in a house without love, you stop recognizing it.”
Cass who is explaining her emotional detatchment.
David’s suicide and Cass’s burial alive both symbolize what shared emotional experience?
Suffocation from societal and parental expectations (or emotional suppression).
The detectives suspect Kyle is hiding something after noticing what about his responses?
His calmness/defeat