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Summary
Sections 16-20
16
Demon isn’t sure whether his mother’s death was a suicide or an accident, but he doubts it’s a coincidence that she died on his birthday. Mrs. Peggot tells him that his mother loved him more than anything, but Demon bitterly thinks she loved getting high more. Reflecting on her death, he later comes to understand that addiction is an illness, not a choice, and that it had nothing to do with him. He also recognizes that OxyContin was just beginning to devastate Appalachia, pushed by doctors who falsely assured patients it was safe for chronic pain.
Demon despises everything about her funeral. It’s held in a church, despite her hatred of religion, stemming from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her first foster father, a preacher. Her casket is from Walmart, a place she detested working, and she’s dressed in clothes she hated. Everyone at the funeral seems hardened against her, trying to ward off her misfortune. At Mrs. Peggot’s urging, Demon views her body, and the full weight of the loss hits him—his unborn sibling is gone too.
As the sole family member present, Demon rides alone in the limo to the burial. His mother is buried in Stoner’s family plot, meaning Demon will likely never see her grave again. Like Tommy, he realizes he’ll have to create makeshift graves wherever he goes to honor her memory.
17
Demon has a supervised visit with Stoner, but they barely speak. Stoner remarks that Demon’s mom could have been happy if things had been different, and Demon instinctively knows he’s blaming him. Though Demon wants to leave, he remembers Miss Barks’ warning that Stoner, due to his participation in mandatory counseling, might still have a say in Demon’s fate. Adding to Demon’s frustration is the knowledge that his mother had lied about his injuries, claiming she had hit him instead of Stoner. While he’s angry at her for the lie, he also realizes she was trying to give him one last chance at having a legal guardian.
In an effort to provoke a reaction, Demon starts blurting out random comments to either impress or anger Stoner, but Stoner remains indifferent. Finally, Demon mentions that he’s going to Knoxville with the Peggots over Christmas break, even though he hasn’t been invited. Stoner’s complete lack of interest confirms to Demon that he’s given up on him entirely. Deciding he has no better options, Demon resolves to go to Knoxville anyway, despite not having a formal invitation, because he has nowhere else to turn.
18
Demon manipulates Maggot into inviting him to Knoxville for Christmas break by mentioning that he might otherwise have to stay in a homeless shelter. However, when he arrives, Demon senses that Mrs. Peggot was reluctant to let him come. Something has shifted, and the car ride feels tense, as if Demon has forced himself into a place where he’s no longer welcome.
When they arrive, Aunt June announces she’s moving back to Lee County, frustrated by her current job, where the head doctor mocks her by calling her Loretta Lynn. Although she spent her life trying to escape Lee County, she realizes it has everything she truly needs. She also shares the news that Emmy’s adoption paperwork has gone through, making her officially her daughter. Demon marvels at the idea that someone can go from being an orphan to having a family so late in life.
Demon notices that Emmy has grown up significantly since he last saw her, adopting a polished "Disney girl" demeanor. She’s become fixated on the case of a murdered family where the baby was the sole survivor, and talks to Demon about it at night while Maggot sleeps. During these conversations, she apologizes for his mother’s death and asks if kids are abused in foster care. Demon tells her he hasn’t been abused, though the conditions are awful. He adds that while good foster parents exist, they don’t take kids like him. When Emmy presses him on what he means, he avoids answering.
They reminisce about the shark tunnel incident, and Emmy marvels at how unafraid Demon was at the time. He admits that sharks calm him because he knows drowning is the one bad thing that can’t happen to him—he was born underwater. Emmy tells him the sac he was born in is called a caul and laughs, calling it a hillbilly superstition. Her comment stings, but when she realizes she’s hurt him, she apologizes. She then touches his hair and comforts him, offering the first physical affection Demon has felt in a long time.
19
Demon feels awkward and self-conscious at Aunt June’s house, even though she is kind to him. He dreads Christmas morning, assuming he won’t receive any gifts. To his surprise, the Peggots include him in the celebration, giving presents to both him and Emmy. Mrs. Gummidge, a lonely cat lady who cares for Emmy overnight when June works, also joins the festivities, making the morning feel unexpectedly warm and inclusive.
At night, Demon and Emmy start talking under the covers, discussing everything from her fear of leaving Knoxville to the death of Demon’s unborn sibling. In these intimate moments, Demon realizes he’s fallen in love with her. Emmy shares her family history, revealing that her mother was a teen mom who turned to IV drug use after her father died in a hunting accident. The Peggots initially took Emmy in, and then Maggot a year later when Mariah went to prison. To protect Emmy from her mother’s custody threats, the Peggots sent her to Aunt June’s, and her mother eventually agreed to sign away her rights.
Emmy notices Demon’s hope that the Peggots might adopt him and warns him that they never officially adopted Maggot—they’re just his guardians. One night, she kisses him and asks if he wants to go to second base. When Demon leaves, Emmy cries and makes him promise not to find another girlfriend before he returns in May.
After Christmas, the Peggots invite Demon to stay with them for a few days instead of returning to the farm. Hopeful, Demon asks if he can stay permanently. Mrs. Peggot gently explains that she and Mr. Peggot had already discussed it shortly after his mother’s funeral. Although Miss Barks had cleared them of the molestation charges and asked if they would take Demon in, they decided they were too old to raise another teenager. Their plan is to have Mariah take Maggot and live on their own once she’s released from prison in two years.
Demon breaks down crying for the first time since the funeral. He realizes that the Peggots, while kind, aren’t extraordinary in their Christian ability to love others more than themselves. The moment solidifies his belief that Bible stories, like superhero comics, are just stories—Jesus won’t save the day any more than Batman will.
20
Demon begins living with the McCobb family, a couple with two small children, Haillie and Brayley, and twin infants. The McCobbs are upfront about their financial struggles, admitting they only took in a foster child for the monthly stipend. To pass inspection, they showed Miss Barks Brayley’s room, pretending it would be Demon’s, but once she left, they put him in the laundry room with the dog. Mr. McCobb tells Demon his room and board are free, but he needs to contribute to food expenses. When Demon explains he has no money, Mr. McCobb insists he find a job. Mr. McCobb portrays himself as an expert in everything, claiming he knows better than his supervisors at every job, which leads to him frequently losing work. The McCobbs have a toxic marriage, often engaging in loud, violent fights.
Mrs. McCobb, overwhelmed by childcare, spends weekends dragging Demon along on pawn shop runs, selling anything she can from the house. To avoid being lowballed, she sends Demon inside to make the transactions, but the pawn shop owners soon catch on. During one visit, a furious owner confronts Mrs. McCobb outside, accusing her of taking advantage of Demon and insisting that she or her husband come into the store themselves. On the way home, Mrs. McCobb randomly declares that she would never divorce her husband.
The McCobbs barely feed their children, hoarding most of the food for themselves. Demon, being much older than Haillie and Brayley, suffers the most from hunger. Although he receives free lunches at school, he is perpetually starving, dreaming about food and eventually resorting to sneaking snacks at night. When the McCobbs catch on, they move the snacks out of reach. Frustrated, Demon complains to Miss Barks, but she advises him to "speak up" and ask for what he needs.
One day, Haillie visits Demon in his room. When he asks where the snacks are, she reveals that she and Brayley are now allowed to keep them in their rooms. She offers to bring him some but warns that he’ll have to eat them outside the house. She points to a nanny cam in his room, making it clear that the McCobbs are monitoring him closely.
Analysis
These chapters demonstrate that narrative distance is central to the storytelling; for example, when Demon reflects that his mother "loved the high more," only to acknowledge that, in the future, he will come to understand addiction as an illness and not a choice. The younger Demon’s anger underscores the devastating personal toll of his mother’s addiction, while the narrator’s retrospective understanding adds nuance, signaling growth and maturity. This technique allows the reader to simultaneously inhabit the intense emotional landscape of Demon’s grief and recognize the broader, systemic tragedy of addiction in Appalachia. This approach aligns with the tradition of Victorian authors, such as Charles Dickens, who frequently paused to comment on the morality or broader implications of their characters' struggles.
Demon’s subsequent placement with the McCobbs vividly portrays the systemic failures of foster care. The McCobbs are emblematic of foster families motivated by financial incentives rather than genuine care for the children they take in. Their manipulation of the system, as seen in their false presentation of Brayley’s room to Miss Barks, highlights the lack of oversight and accountability in foster care placements. Demon’s relegation to a laundry room with a dog and his expectation to financially contribute, despite being a minor with no resources, underline the exploitation he faces.
Hunger becomes a central theme during Demon’s time with the McCobbs, symbolizing both physical deprivation and emotional starvation. His constant preoccupation with food, coupled with the McCobbs’ hoarding and surveillance, mirrors the broader power dynamics in the household. The McCobbs not only fail to provide him with adequate nourishment but also fail to provide a nurturing, supportive environment. This physical starvation becomes a tangible representation of the emotional void in Demon’s life, as he is constantly left to fend for himself in a world where adults exploit or disregard him.
Miss Barks serves as a well-meaning but ultimately ineffective advocate for Demon. Her advice to "speak up" reflects a misunderstanding of the power imbalance in his foster home, where voicing his needs would likely lead to further mistreatment. While her personal aspirations and struggles humanize her character, they also underscore the limitations of individuals working within broken systems. Miss Barks represents the broader systemic failure to protect vulnerable children like Demon, despite her good intentions.
The chapters also deepen the exploration of Demon’s growing disillusionment with the narratives that have given him emotional sustenance. His realization about the Peggots—though kind, they are ultimately limited by their own human flaws and self-preservation—reflects a broader reckoning with the myths he’s clung to throughout his life. Demon’s earlier comparisons of the Bible to superhero stories underscore his yearning for extraordinary figures who can swoop in and rescue the downtrodden, a reflection of his deep-seated desire for salvation and justice in an unjust world. The parallel he draws between Jesus and Batman highlights his cynicism; both figures, while inspiring and symbolic, remain confined to the realm of fiction, incapable of intervening in the real-life suffering he endures.
