The Last One at the Wedding

“Jesus, Maggie. You didn’t tell me Aidan was—I stopped short at using the word ‘rich.’”

Class is one of this novel’s key focal points, and both Frank and Aidan are characterized by their class positions early in the novel. Because Aidan is an intermittently employed artist, Frank is initially sure that Maggie’s fiancé struggles financially. He is shocked and a little uncomfortable when he discovers that Aidan is wealthy, and his discomfort is reflected in the dashed sentence and his inability to voice a word meaning “rich.” He wants the best for his daughter, but Frank has deeply rooted working-class values and is suspicious of affluence.

“I had a hard time getting a read on him. He was polite but very quiet. I’m not sure I met the real Aidan.”

Frank initially finds Aidan too reticent for his liking, and he is not sure if Maggie’s fiancé is hiding the true nature of his personality or if he just does not have much interest in Frank. Frank acutely feels their class difference, and that wealth gap coupled with Aidan’s inhospitable behavior makes frank suspicious. This suspicion becomes a red herring distracting from the fact that Maggie is the real culprit of crimes, not Aidan.

“This was such a classic Maggie moment. Over the years, I’d watched her grow more and more independent. And here she was tackling this big event on her own with no help from me or my sister.”

Maggie’s independence is a key facet of her characterization. This kind of self-reliance is present in Maggie as an adult, and it is part of why Frank is troubled by her relationship with Aidan: Never before had Maggie jumped into a relationship so quickly or depended on someone else so much.

“These days you can’t count on anyone. There’s too much money changing hands.”

The Corrupting Influence of Wealth is one of this novel’s key thematic focal points. Here, Dawn’s uncle asserts that money and the power that accompanies it have hindered the investigation into Dawn’s disappearance. This worldview aligns with the way that Frank perceives class, wealth, and power, and he finds himself receptive to the man’s ideas.

“Aidan didn’t seem fine. He seemed annoyed, like we were some unwanted chore he’d been assigned to tackle.”

Here, Aidan appears irritated upon Frank and Tammy’s arrival with Abigail. The annoyance that he displays whenever he comes into contact with Frank does not go unnoticed, and Frank struggles to feel any warmth toward his future son-in-law. Aidan has shown no interest in getting to know Frank, and Frank cannot help but judge him for what he perceives as Aidan’s snobbery. This snobbery is another red herring that covers the fact that Aidan is uninterested in marrying a woman with whom his father is having an affair.

“I bragged a little about my union benefits, about the pension plan and the healthcare and the perks of being a teamster.”

Being working class is central to Frank’s identity, and the passage speaks to the theme of Taking Pride in a Working-Class Identity. Although Maggie views class through a different lens and sees Frank as “poor,” he sees the benefits that he has received from his job at UPS.

“Maggie had chosen a different path for herself, and now she lived in a different world.”

Maggie defines herself against the confines of what she perceives as her father’s class-based limitations. Rather than Taking Pride in a Working-Class Identity, she sees it as something to be overcome. She is drawn to Aidan’s family because of their extreme wealth and power. Rekulak uses a geographic metaphor of a “different world” to highlight the distance that Frank views between he and Maggie.

“My three year cold war with Maggie forced me to take a hard look at all my parenting mistakes.”

Frank’s fraught relationship with Maggie is a source of real distress for him, in large part because he knows that he is to blame for their estrangement. The guilt that he feels over having failed Maggie and damaged their parent-child bond is a key facet of his characterization and informs much of his behavior toward Maggie after their reconciliation. Calling this a “cold war” is a hyperbole that highlights massive yet unbroken tension, foreshadowing the fact that the clash is to come.

“I spotted Gerry and Hugo standing among the medics and police officers. They were all engaged in easy, relaxed conversation. They could have been discussing the Red Sox.”

This moment speaks back to Dawn’s uncle’s assertion that the Gardner family has so much influence that the police, lawyers, and other investigators tasked with looking into Dawn’s disappearance are on their side. Frank observes the way that the family wields its power and notes that even in the face of this tragedy, their easy camaraderie with area law enforcement and first responders is evident. Moments like these help the author to show that affluence gives people enough power to feel immune to tragedy.

“Every parent’s an unreliable narrator. We think we know our kids better than anyone, but none of us can see them objectively.”

This is a key moment of foreshadowing. Although Frank is sure that Maggie is an innocent victim, duped by a predatory partner, it will grow increasingly clear that she knows more about Dawn’s death than she is letting on. Rekulak’s use of a literary metaphor, “unreliable narrator,” is metafictional and draws attention to the fact that Frank’s perspectives as the narrator of the text are limited.

“Every young woman in Hopps Ferry knew about Aidan Gardner. He was the closest thing the town had to a royal prince: young, educated, handsome, and wealthy beyond estimation.”

Aidan’s true nature remains a mystery for much of the novel. Frank never feels as though he quite has a read on his future son-in-law, Maggie characterizes him as “an introvert,” and he is absent for much of the wedding festivities. His metaphorical status as a “royal prince” suggests that he has enough power and influence to harm these “young woman in Hopps Ferry,” providing another red herring about Dawn’s fate.

“Aidan was pale and clammy, and some kind of rash had broken out on his forehead.”

This is a moment of foreshadowing that raises questions about Aidan. As the wedding approaches, Aidan becomes increasingly withdrawn and silent and is often absent from the festivities. Rekulak creates mystery and suspense in moments like these. Here, because Aidan now seems to have developed physical symptoms, it is clear that something is wrong. If Aidan is indeed the killer, then perhaps he is experiencing guilt. At this point, the truth behind Dawn’s disappearance has not yet been revealed, and the narrative makes it ambiguous what role Aidan played in her death and what is going on with him now.

“Margaret knows everything. We should have been more honest with you, but she was worried you wouldn’t understand.”

At this point, Frank is forced to reconsider what he thinks he knows about his daughter. Several of his recollections of Maggie’s youth have focused on incidents in which Maggie was dishonest and displayed a lack of personal ethics, but Frank has thus far refused to see her in any but the most positive of lights. Vicky’s assertion that parents never really know their children can now be seen as a moment of foreshadowing: Maggie is a much more complex character than she initially seemed.

“There are a lot of ways to have an accident at Osprey Cove, and you’re already on Hugo’s radar.”

Hugo is a character who helps Rekulak to create an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. Although on the surface Hugo seems calm and capable, it is evident to Frank that something is amiss with him. Throughout the novel, Hugo’s presence signals danger, and Frank gets confirmation of Hugo’s malign intentions after Dawn’s death. The word “accident” is a euphemism describing Hugo’s potential to inflict violence.

“Morning light filled my window. I squinted and turned away from the sun, pulling the blankets over my shoulders. A daddy longlegs crouched on my pillow, just inches from my face. I brushed it away. Another spider watched me from the bedpost, but I left that one alone.”

The daddy longlegs infestation in Frank and Tammy’s cabin is one of the novel’s eeriest motifs. It creates an atmosphere of anxiety and adds to other moments of foreshadowing that gesture toward the presence of something sinister at the camp.

“My big sister had always looked out for me, always stood at my side. But now she was a Capaciti shareholder, and I didn’t recognize her anymore.”

In this scene, Tammy tells Frank that she doesn’t care if Maggie is lying, helped to cover up a murder, or is getting married to further her career. Because Errol gave her a generous financial settlement, she is willing to look the other way. Tammy also becomes a testament to The Corrupting Influence of Wealth.

“As parents, we always say we’d do anything for our children, but would we really?”

Here, Frank remembers Maggie’s murky role in an arson incident at her first real job out of college and reflects on his daughter’s poor ethics. For the first time in his life, he comes to realize that perhaps he has been enabling Maggie and that, more importantly, Maggie has always been able to manipulate him. He wonders about the limits of parental love and support, marking a significant development in the novel's central conflict between father and daughter.

“It’s very easy to conceal this sort of thing if you have enough resources. That’s why jails are full of poor people.”

Here, Maggie openly admits to playing a role in the coverup of Dawn Taggart’s death. This incident further helps Rekulak to explore The Corrupting Influence of Wealth and conveys that wealthy individuals and families can evade prosecution by wielding their own power and influence. That Maggie finds this truth humorous speaks to her own lack of personal ethics, and the discomfort with which Frank receives it speaks to the strength of his own ethical code.

“I like UPS Maggie. UPS put food on our table for twenty-six years.”

UPS is one of this novel’s key motifs. It represents the relationship between class and identity and helps illustrate how central work, being working class, and having a strong work ethic are to Frank’s sense of self. Although Maggie associates the working class with sadness and poverty, Frank sees that his job served them well.

“I’d been properly trained to work in extreme temperatures. I caused the accident through my own carelessness, and I wasn’t going to start blaming others for my own dumb mistakes.”

This moment, when Frank denies that UPS policy or the lack of air conditioning in its fleet had anything to do with his accident, speaks to his characterization and provides contrast between Frank and Maggie. Maggie is incapable of taking responsibility for any of her actions, but Frank admits his own guilt when the situation warrants it.

“But the summer did end and Tammy assured me I was off the hook and my services were no longer required, but I kept helping her out with Abigail.”

Frank develops a bond with Abigail after the wedding. This portrays his empathy and willingness to help out, but it also demonstrates how keenly he misses his own daughter. Abigail is clearly a stand-in for Maggie who wants little to do with her father and rarely reaches out to him.

“If you ever get tired of this and don’t want to be here anymore, you can always come home.”

Frank is not able to see Maggie’s true nature until the very end of the novel. Although Tammy understands that Maggie is manipulative and devoid of empathy, Frank cannot see this due to his paternal love. Here, he offers to let Maggie live with him even though it is obvious that she is fully invested in a life with the Gardners and is willing to do whatever it takes to remain with their family and company.

“Little pitchers have big ears.”

During this moment of the novel’s action-packed conclusion, the Gardner family plans to “deal with” Abigail because she saw the map leading to Dawn’s body. More so than any other piece of the novel’s action, the Gardners’ willingness to kill a small child to protect their interests, and make light of it with this euphemistic epigram, embodies The Corrupting Influence of Wealth.