The Dollhouse Murders

“‘All set.’ If those words meant ‘Do you feel great about leaving?’ she really wasn’t set at all. But if they meant ‘Do you want to go?’ then she was all set indeed.” 

Amy thinks this before leaving to stay at Aunt Clare’s house, showing her inner conflict. She views Aunt Clare’s house as a refuge from her guilt and believes running away will make everything better. Amy’s reluctance to leave her family, however conflicted, foreshadows her ultimate decision to reunite with Louann and her parents.

“But, even little kids can learn to help themselves, and they’re happier because of it.” 

Aunt Clare says this while talking to Amy about Louann. Here, Aunt Clare plants the seed for Amy to start considering Louann as a person and sister, rather than a burden. This line also plays into the theme of different abilities and disabilities. Louann may have unique challenges, but she is still able to do things in her own way. Sometimes, those ways are more effective.

“It was an amazing thought…as if they’d peeked into another world that no longer existed.”

Amy and Ellen see an article from an old newspaper while at the library looking for information about Grandma and Grandpa Treloar. Though it is not directly about the murders, this line speaks to the idea that the past can be forgotten or misunderstood if no one remembers it. The dollhouse comes alive to keep this from happening to Grandma and Grandpa Treloar. Amy, Louann, and Aunt Clare learn the killer’s identity, keeping the truth from falling into obscurity.

“Riding home through the quiet streets and out into the countryside, Amy thought about what it had been like for Aunt Clare. How lonely she must have been during those first months in Chicago! Amy felt a wave of homesickness for her own family. It was hard to believe she’d only been away from them for a few days.” 

This passage conveying Amy’s thoughts comes after she learns about the murder and Aunt Clare’s fiancé’s death. This is the first moment when Amy admits to missing her family. She begins to change here. She doesn’t quite realize it yet, but she knows deep down that family is important and that running away can’t fix problems.

“I shouldn’t have told her I was coming, Amy thought. I could have picked up the tapes while she was at Mrs. Peck’s. She’ll just get upset again when I leave. But she felt better for having talked to her sister. If Louann was having fun with Mrs. Peck and Marisa, Amy didn’t have to feel so guilty about being away.” 

This quote comes after Amy talks to Louann on the phone and says she’ll be home the next day to pick up a few things. Amy grapples with feelings of guilt and rationalizes them by recognizing that Louann is enjoying herself with her new after-school activities. Amy feels torn here. Talking to Louann makes Amy feel trapped again, like she has to conform to what Louann wants. On the other hand, Amy feels good after talking to Louann, the first sign that Amy and Louann’s relationship will mend and get stronger.

“People say lots of things they don’t mean. I do, when I’m mad at my mother. But she knows I’m sorry later. You can’t still blame yourself, after all this time.”

Aunt Clare reveals the last thing she said to Grandma and Grandpa Treloar was that she hated them and that she’s suffered guilt over that ever since. These lines of dialogue are Amy’s response to Aunt Clare’s confession. Amy cuts to the core of Aunt Clare’s problems—that guilt has kept Aunt Clare from moving forward. Amy doesn’t know it here, but her own guilt has done the same for her. These lines also hint at the enduring power of family. People say things and feel guilty about them, but a loving family understands that people make mistakes.

“The sadness was not just upstairs in the dollhouse; it was all around her.”

Amy thinks this at the end of the chapter in which Aunt Clare confesses to feeling guilty about saying she hated Grandma and Grandpa Treloar. This line links the strange occurrences in the dollhouse to Aunt Clare and the real house in an emotional way. Aunt Clare cannot overcome her guilt and sadness until the dollhouse mystery is solved.

“It was nearly five when Amy biked into the driveway of her own house. She had never thought much about the house before—it was just the place where she lived—but now she knew that dark-gray clapboard and white shutters were the prettiest combination possible.” 

Without Amy’s coming out and saying it, it is understood by this passage that Amy loves her family and misses home. She sees her house for the first time in days and realizes how much she missed it and the people inside. This foreshadows Amy’s overcoming her guilt and rejoining her family.

“Louann is ours, Amy thought. That’s it. We know what she can do and what she can’t do. We don’t need any Mrs. Peck trying to change things.” 

Amy’s thoughts here convey a few things. Louann is having fun and learning without Amy. Amy is jealous (even if she isn’t quite aware of it), and she feels guilty for not doing as good a job with Louann as Mrs. Peck. This also highlights the idea of different abilities and disabilities. Louann can do things in her own way. It’s not the way Amy might do them, but Louann is capable of learning her own strategies.

“It’s perfectly obvious Louann needs other people in her life. It isn’t fair to expect her family to carry the whole burden.”

This line spoken by Aunt Clare identifies Louann as a person in her own right. Louann may be different, but she has needs and desires like anyone else. It also highlights that family is important but shouldn’t be the only thing in someone’s world. Louann and Amy both grow over the course of the book in different ways. Being apart does them good, but it’s not a permanent solution. They can live together as a family but still have separate lives.

“Today I’m a teenager. Amy said the words to herself as she biked to school. Growing up meant taking responsibilities, and she was doing that. She was protecting Aunt Clare from the painful memories and guilt feelings that upset her so much. And protecting Aunt Clare meant not telling what she’d seen in the attic last night.” 

Amy thinks this on her 13th birthday. She rationalizes guilt and growing up, two of the book’s major themes, in these lines. Amy thinks she’s being responsible and helping by protecting Aunt Clare from guilt, not yet realizing that Aunt Clare must deal with her guilt to move past it. Amy also doesn’t yet understand that hiding or running from problems means they don’t resolve.

“Amy ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn’t want to calm down. She didn’t want to grow up and be reasonable and take responsibility—not if it meant taking care of Louann every day of her life.” 

Amy’s thoughts here come later on the day of her birthday, after Louann arrives to attend the birthday party. Amy breaks with her earlier thoughts of growing up and taking responsibility. She’s starting to realize that she needs to live her own life and be her own person. It’s all right to care about other people, but they aren’t her responsibility.

“For the rest of the evening, Louann hardly left Kathy’s side. Kathy’s really wonderful, Amy thought. She treats Louann like a friend, not a pest. Why can’t I do that? But, of course, she reminded herself, Kathy didn’t have Louann with her every day. It was easy enough to be patient for a couple of hours.” 

These lines come during the birthday party and highlight many of the book’s central ideas. Amy envies the ease with which Kathy interacts with Louann. This envy is born of Amy’s guilt that she hasn’t been so patient. Amy works toward learning that she has to release her guilt in order to face herself. Kathy symbolizes everything Amy wishes to be—a better sister to Louann and a kid without the full-time responsibility of Louann as a sister.

“Having Louann there hadn’t made any difference at all. Kathy had treated her the way she treated everyone else, and the other girls had followed suit. Aunt Clare had helped, too, by keeping Louann busy when she threatened to take over the conversation, and by giving an occasional signal for her to calm down.” 

Amy thinks this after the party. For the first time, Amy realizes she can live the life she wants, even with Louann as a sister. Amy begins to work through her guilt here, and she will soon accept Louann the way she is.

“But she’s my sister, […] not just my burden.” 

Amy realizes here that Louann is more than a problem. Amy begins to think of Louann as a person, not just someone to take care of. Louann has her own abilities and strengths, a fact Amy is just beginning to understand and something she will come to appreciate.

“I don’t run into anything. […] When I run, I just run.” 

Louann says this in response to Ellen’s not wanting to go into the attic alone because she might “run into” a ghost. Louann has a simple but effective way of viewing the world. She takes things literally and assesses them at face value, one of her unique abilities. These lines highlight Louann as a full person, not only someone who needs care. They also foreshadow Louann demonstrating her own strengths in later chapters when she, Amy, and Aunt Clare search for the truth about the murders.

“There’s something soothing about baking. It’s one thing you can count on to turn out right, if you just follow directions.” 

This line, spoken by Aunt Clare, highlights food as a symbol of Aunt Clare’s emotional state. For her, food is a constant and reliable thing in a life full of guilt and uncertainty. Baking is something Aunt Clare feels no guilt about. Thus, it is easy, representing how simple life can be without guilt in the way.

“She knew her mother was disappointed. But she couldn’t leave now, right after Aunt Clare had confided in them. More than ever, she had to uncover the secret of the dollhouse. If there was a secret at all.” 

Amy thinks this after telling her mother she’ll be home soon. Amy is growing up and realizing that she needs to find the truth of the dollhouse to help Aunt Clare. Wanting to protect Aunt Clare from pain and guilt is good, but doing so won’t help in the long run. Amy also realizes that she can’t abandon Aunt Clare just because things are difficult. She tried that with Louann, and it didn’t fix anything.

“Amy was disappointed. She’d been counting on her sister’s company; it would help to be with someone who wasn’t afraid of dolls that moved and a dollhouse that lighted up by itself.” 

Amy thinks this when she’s resolved to go upstairs during the storm and figure out the dollhouse’s mystery once and for all. In an earlier chapter, Louann was not afraid of the moving dolls when Amy was, showing Louann and Amy’s different strengths. Amy’s desire for Louann’s company shows that Amy knows Louann has strengths Amy doesn’t.

“Amy couldn’t have taken a step if she’d wanted to. With the lights out, the terror she’d felt in the attic returned full force. Beside her, Louann sobbed, her panic increasing with each clap of thunder. Amy put an arm around her sister’s shoulders and drew her close.” 

This passage comes during the thunderstorm at the book’s end. While Amy is terrified of the dollhouse, Louann is afraid of the storm. Both girls fear something, but those fears are different because they have different strengths. Amy clings to Louann’s bravery about the dollhouse, and Louann seeks solace from the storm in Amy. Amy thinks of her sister as a person, not a burden, here.

“Something magic was happening, a small miracle in the circle of yellow lamplight. Tight little lines in Aunt Clare’s face melted away, and her pale cheeks flushed with color. She looked, younger, gentler, prettier than Amy had ever seen her before.”

Amy observes this change in Aunt Clare after they learn Aunt Clare’s fiancé didn’t murder Grandma and Grandpa Treloar. Aunt Clare no longer believes she’s indirectly responsible for their deaths, and she releases her guilt. Free of the burdensome emotion, Aunt Clare can finally move forward. The weight of guilt lifts from her.

“Amy thought she knew. Aunt Clare didn’t need her anymore; there was a new serenity in her aunt’s manner and in the old house itself. And that was good, because Amy was ready to go home. She was grateful that Aunt Clare didn’t protest when she said she and Louann would leave as soon as their parents came back.” 

Amy thinks this the morning after they learn the truth about the murders. Aunt Clare has released her guilt, and Amy feels good about having helped her aunt find peace. For the first time, Amy really wants to go home to be with her family, even Louann. Amy sees the importance in both being with her family and living her life the way she wants to.

“I may not have experience raising children, but I am an expert on guilt feelings. And I’m pretty sure your mother feels as guilty in her way as I do in mine. She blames herself because Louann is braindamaged—there isn’t any reason for her to do that, but it’s a perfectly human way to feel. And because she feels guilty, you and your father feel guilty, too. Louann is your family burden, and it’s up to your family to take care of her—isn’t that the way you look at it?” 

Aunt Clare says this to Amy shortly before Amy and Louann’s parents arrive. Aunt Clare admits to understanding guilt and how guilt has held her back. She highlights how the same guilty feelings keep Amy from understanding and appreciating Louann.