53 pages • 1 hour read
Ask for Andrea
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Chapters 1-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “Meghan: Oquirrh Mountains, Utah. 1 Year Before”
Content Warning: This section discusses murder, violence against women, sexual assault, and child abuse.
One year before the present, Meghan goes on a date with a man named Jimmy, whom she met online. Although she is initially doubtful, she finds Jimmy attractive and kind, appealing in contrast to “divorced dads [with] complicated custody agreements” (6). Meghan and Jimmy meet at a bar called Gracie’s Spot in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the date, Meghan notices a sign advising women who feel uncomfortable during a date to ask for Andrea at the bar. After the date, Jimmy offers to drive Meghan home; during the drive, she becomes sleepy and passes out, even though she has not had much to drink. When Meghan comes to, she is in a remote region of the forest, and Jimmy is strangling her with her scarf. Eventually, Jimmy walks away, returning to his car; Meghan frantically runs in the other direction. As she runs, she faintly hears a woman calling her and then abruptly realizes that she has died during Jimmy’s attack.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Brecia: Boulder, Colorado. 2 Years Before”
Moving back in time another year, Brecia has just been murdered by her ex-boyfriend; like Meghan, she remains conscious in spirit form after her death. The man who killed her is recognizable as Jimmy (the man who kills Meghan a year later). Brecia and Jimmy dated for a week one year earlier, after meeting online; however, he quickly displayed controlling and violent tendencies, and Brecia ended the relationship. One night, Brecia took the garbage cans outside near her home. Jimmy was standing there and attacked and strangled her.
After Brecia dies, she hastily (in her new ghost form) pursues him into his car; as a ghost, no one can see her, hear her, or feel her touch them. Brecia accompanies Jimmy as he goes inside what seems like a picturesque family home. Brecia gradually realizes that while she can’t pass through walls, she can move through small spaces and seems to have some control over energy (she can cause lights to turn on and off). She vows to get revenge because “he ha[s] taken everything [she] had” (15).
Chapter 3 Summary: “Skye: Kuna, Idaho. Now”
In the present, Skye works at a coffee shop and notices a handsome customer named James, who regularly comes in and orders hot chocolate. One day, just before she is due to leave her job and begin college, James pulls up as Skye is leaving the coffee shop and offers her a ride. Once she’s in the car, he suggests that they have a meal together, and she readily agrees. However, Skye becomes anxious when she notices that James is driving to a remote area and that she no longer has cell phone service. When they get out of the car, James attacks and strangles her. Skye dies and, in a panic, watches her passive body lying in the dirt.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Meghan: Oquirrh Mountains, Utah. 1 Year Before”
One year prior, Meghan tries to find her way back to her body in the dark woods, frightened. When she finds her body, a group of coyotes are feeding on it. She sits nearby until the sun comes up.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Brecia: Boulder, Colorado. 2 Years Before”
Moving back in time another year, Brecia (invisible, as a ghost) lives in the house alongside Jimmy and his family: his wife, April, and their two young daughters, Emma and Kimmie. She observes that “Jimmy’s” real name is James Carson and that he works as a computer programmer; because he works from a home office in the basement, James has plenty of time and privacy to message women on dating apps (he typically uses fake names when he does so). From a news article, Brecia gleans that her murder case has no suspects; she is frustrated because she desperately wants to see James brought to justice. She watches with alarm as James arranges a date with a woman named Nicole; this is particularly ominous because James and his family are planning to move out of state the following day.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Skye: Kuna, Idaho. Now”
In the present, Skye leaves her body behind and walks to the home where she lives with her family. She tries to make contact with her mother but is saddened to find that her mother cannot see or hear her.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Meghan: Oquirrh Mountains, Utah. 1 Year Before”
One year before, Meghan lingers near her body, watching as animals and insects gradually reduce it to bones. Because her skeleton is some distance from the road, Meghan knows that it will be very difficult for anyone to find her body. She waits beside her body for days. One day, she notices that one of her shoes is lying on the side of the road. She hopes that it might eventually attract someone’s attention.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Brecia: Boulder, Colorado. 2 Years Before”
Two years before the present, Brecia uses her energy to cause problems with James’s computer and cell phone, leading him to become frustrated. Brecia fears that he is going to harm Nicole and decides to go with him on the date; she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to do anything, “but [she] ha[s] to try” (49).
Chapter 9 Summary: “Skye: Kuna, Idaho. Now”
In the present, Skye watches as her mother desperately calls the police to report that her daughter is missing; however, since Skye is over the age of 18, the police are not overly concerned about looking for her. Skye hopes that someone from the coffee shop will share information about James since he was a regular there, but she also grimly reflects that “Ken [her co-worker] thought he was a nice guy” (53).
Skye’s mother goes to the coffee shop, where she meets with Ken and explains that Skye never came home after her shift. Ken is very concerned. When Ken mentions the guy (James) to Skye’s mother, Skye tries to signal for them to investigate, but Ken does not think that James could be involved. He does suggest that they could look at security camera footage to see if it shows where Skye went after she left the coffee shop (Ken does not know that Skye got into a car with James).
Chapters 1-9 Analysis
The novel is narrated in alternating chapters by three different protagonists; the action also unfolds over three different timelines before eventually converging. This narrative structure creates dramatic tension since initially, the three women have no knowledge of one another and their connection, which allows for the presence of three distinct protagonists in the novel. Brecia, Skye, and Meghan are quite different in terms of their life stages, autonomy (Skye still lives with her parents, while Brecia has her own home), racial identities, and personality, but they share a terrible fate: being brutally murdered by a man whom they initially trusted. The presence of (at least) three victims shows that James is a serial killer who will likely continue to murder women until someone stops him, which adds urgency and suspense to the plot; this structure also shows that the threat of gender-based violence is a wide-reaching experience, which can be shared by women who otherwise have very little in common. Introducing the identities of the three protagonists invokes the theme of Agency and Victims of Violence, highlighting the lack of autonomy that women and Black and brown people often face, particularly in the dating sphere, while interacting with men.
Ask for Andrea can, to some extent, be considered a crime thriller; however, three murders occur in quick succession within the opening chapters, and there is no doubt about the killer’s identity. The victims become the detectives; in fact, given the lack of police competence in investigating the cases, the victims must function as their own advocates. Brecia, Skye, and Meghan are well positioned to achieve justice because they have intimate knowledge of their own murders, and they can also follow and observe James without him being aware. However, the three women are cruelly limited in their ability to intervene in the unfolding investigations because they cannot communicate directly with the living or physically intervene. This balance of advantage and constraint further speaks to the theme of the agency of victims of violence, which will be explored throughout the plot. The novel’s suspense does not derive from a traditional “whodunnit” mystery, but rather from the obstacles that the three protagonists face while trying to bring their murderer to justice and prevent him from taking more lives.
Brecia and Meghan both meet James (who initially uses aliases) via an online dating app called MatchStrike (likely an allusion to the popular app Tinder). While the name of the app is intended to convey fire as a metaphor for desire and attraction, fire is also dangerous; the name alludes to how the pursuit of romance and sexuality is inherently dangerous for women. However, Skye becomes a victim because she simply happens to cross paths with James; the diverse ways in which the women encounter James shows that they are not to blame for anything that happens and that there is virtually no way for a woman to guarantee her safety as long as predators like James exist. Brecia and Meghan use the dating app because of a very reasonable desire to find a romantic partner, while Skye is earning a livelihood when she crosses his path. Brecia, Meghan, and Skye are functioning as modern and empowered women when they encounter James, yet he robs them of their very lives.
Both the lead-up and aftermaths of the murders show James’s success at disguising his violent tendencies and illustrate the theme of The Ability to Hide One’s True Nature. James is successful at persuading both Brecia and Meghan to date him because he is handsome and charismatic and capable of feigning being kind and patient. James’s manipulative and deceitful tendencies mirror a number of real-life serial killers, notably Ted Bundy, who lured women into dangerous situations. James’s charm and good looks not only enable him to lure his victims but also largely protect him from the consequences of his crimes. Because James came to the café regularly and was known to flirt with Skye, he would logically be a person of interest after she vanishes (especially since he was known to have been at the café that day); however, his good looks and apparently kind demeanor mean that Ken is not suspicious of him. As a minor character, Ken reveals how different forms of masculinity can contribute to the dangers that women face: Ken is well-intentioned and cares about Skye, but he is blinded by his own tendency to see James as a “good guy.”
The women respond in different ways in the immediate aftermaths of their deaths. Meghan feels the need to remain by her body, desperately hoping that someone will find it, while Brecia immediately pursues James in the hope that she can do something to achieve justice. Skye returns to her family and shadows them as they try to understand what happened to her. These different reactions serve to develop the personalities of the three protagonists: Brecia is fiery, protective, and often displays leadership qualities, while Meghan is dreamy and introspective (she will be the first one to discover that the women can interact with deceased family members accessed via their memories). These different responses also reveal the different reactions that can occur in the wake of trauma and gendered violence.
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