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Summary
Sections 36-40
36
In 2001, Demon feels like he’s found his place in the world. He’s thriving on the football team, and Coach has become a surrogate father figure—the first person who truly believed in his potential. That fall, he starts high school, reuniting with the kids he grew up with, including Maggot and Emmy. However, their social circles have shifted. Maggot spends most of his time with Goth kids like Martha, the girl who cuts his hair, while Demon is firmly part of the jock crowd. Emmy gravitates toward the popular artistic group, hanging out with Drama kids. Demon hasn’t had sex yet but begins having nightly phone sex with an older girl named Linda Larkins.
Demon also starts visiting the Peggots regularly, having forgiven them for not taking him in, but the visits feel different. The Peggots are older and more tired now, especially Mr. Peg. At dinner, Maggot is silent, and the household is filled with tension due to his behavior—his unconventional dress, skipping school, and drug use. One night, Mr. Peg confides in Demon about his frustration, lamenting that when he was young, kids simply did what they were told. Demon theorizes that modern restlessness comes from kids seeing what others have and feeling the weight of unfairness in their lives. Mr. Peg sighs, worried that Maggot will never find a girl dressed the way he does. Demon wishes Fast Forward were still around, believing he would know how to help Maggot navigate his struggles.
Later that year, the September 11th attacks occur, which deeply shakes the nation but feels somewhat abstract to Demon and his classmates. Having never seen skyscrapers in real life, they struggle to fully grasp the enormity of the event. They know that no terrorist would target their area—it has already been devastated by economic and social neglect. However, the attacks bring a sharp increase in Army recruitment at their school, preying on the vulnerability and limited options of kids in their community.
37
U-Haul’s animosity toward Demon only grows. He forces Demon to accompany him on errands, including visits to his hoarder mother’s house. During these visits, U-Haul’s mother asks invasive questions, fishing for gossip about the McCobbs and making thinly veiled racist remarks about Ms. Annie and Mr. Armstrong’s interracial marriage. When Demon finally tells U-Haul he won’t go on errands involving his mother anymore, U-Haul retaliates with a threat: if Demon tells Coach about any of this, U-Haul will expose Demon’s weed use and phone sex, jeopardizing his place in Coach’s home.
Meanwhile, Emmy shares news about June and Kent’s dramatic breakup. June had refused to keep promoting Kent’s pills and even organized a community meeting to highlight their devastating effects—families being ruined financially, people overdosing, and others dying from tainted needles. Demon is confused by the mention of needles, as he doesn’t yet understand how pills lead to intravenous drug use. After the breakup, June was so frightened of Kent’s reaction that she asked Hammer to stay with her and keep a gun in the house for protection.
Demon’s relationship with Linda Larkins also ends abruptly when her sister tells him Linda got married. Realizing he’d been manipulated the entire time, Demon is left feeling foolish and heartbroken, which puts him in a bad mood during his road trip to Murder Valley with Angus. Tensions boil over, and they have their first argument when Demon tells her to focus on her own personal life rather than meddling in his. Angus fires back that boys are infantile and girls are exasperating.
When they arrive in Murder Valley, Miss Betsy asks them about their plans for the future. Angus, now a junior, shares her goal of attending college to study psychology or sociology. Demon is angry and hurt, interpreting her ambitions as an abandonment. He feels deeply insecure because he has no clear direction for his own future, aside from the vague hope of a football scholarship. Even that idea feels unappealing—moving to a city, far from everyone he knows, just as he’s starting to feel like a real person, seems like losing everything he’s gained.
38
In the summer, Demon finally gets a chance to just be a kid, free from the usual grind of work. However, he eventually decides to get a job to save up for a car, and Coach helps him secure a position at the Farm Supply store. The job is the best he’s ever had—simple, easy, and rewarding. Customers frequently recognize him from his football games and congratulate him, boosting his confidence.
One day, while working, Demon hears a familiar voice: Fast Forward. At first, Fast Forward barely recognizes Demon because he’s grown so much, but he says he’s seen Demon play on the football field. He shares that Creaky’s farm went under, and now he runs his own tobacco farm. Fast Forward starts visiting the Farm Supply regularly to buy items like Ivermectin and syringes, and he makes a habit of chatting with Demon. One night, he invites Demon to hang out with him.
That evening, they go cruising around Pennington Gap with Big Bear Howe, one of Fast Forward’s former football teammates, and a girl named Rose Dartell. Demon recalls that Rose used to bake “special cookies” for Fast Forward in high school. While they aren’t officially a couple, there’s a palpable connection between them, though Demon suspects their relationship is complicated—possibly because of the large scar on Rose’s face.
The group meets up with a crowd of former Generals (their high school team) and other young people from the area. To Demon’s surprise, many of them recognize him more than they recognize Fast Forward, knowing him as the rising football star.
39
Demon invites Fast Forward to Aunt June’s Fourth of July party, hoping Fast Forward might help Maggot, who is clearly struggling. Fast Forward shows up with Rose and another woman, Mouse, a tiny, talkative New Yorker who works as a hair and makeup artist for celebrities. Mouse immediately makes snide remarks about the town, commenting on the lack of sidewalks and calling it “East Jesus Nowhere,” which makes Demon feel embarrassed and defensive. During the festivities, Demon notices Mouse secretly distributing small black disks from a Pringles can. Later, he sees several people passed out with needles in their arms.
At the party, Demon feels self-conscious about Maggot, who shows up in full goth attire and is jittery from Adderall. Maggot quickly gravitates toward Martha, avoiding the rest of the group. Demon spots Ms. Annie chatting with June and, oddly, Mr. Maldo. June, reflecting on the state of the community, remarks that Lee County’s population is dwindling, with drug-related deaths far outpacing the number of births each year. Emmy, meanwhile, looks stunning and confident. He marvels at how Emmy has managed to belong so seamlessly, despite having a family history similar to his own. He watches her flirt with Fast Forward but later realizes she’s officially with Hammer, wearing a ring he gave her as a birthday present.
Demon asks Maggot about Emmy and Hammer, and Maggot bluntly tells him to give up, saying Emmy is way out of his league. Frustrated, Demon asks why Hammer gets to be with her, and Maggot jokes that Hammer found June’s G-spot, leaving Demon amused but uncomfortable.
Later, Demon chats with Fast Forward and Mouse about Emmy and hammer. When Demon mentions Hammer being a good person, Mouse dismisses him, calling out that Hammer is sleeping with his cousin, which stings Demon. Mouse continues to criticize the partygoers, including the men burning M-80s for a “kyarn blow.” When she sarcastically asks if they have anything better to do, Demon dryly replies, “Welcome to Dixie,” but immediately regrets it.
He reflects on progressive liberals’ views of rural people. While he agrees with progressive stance on fairness for marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ people and racial minorities, he feels that rural people are often left out of that consideration. Hillbilly jokes dominate television and pop culture, and Mouse’s dismissive attitude reinforces a stereotype that leaves him feeling unseen and unfairly judged.
40
Demon meets Dori, the daughter of the Farm Supply store owner, and is immediately captivated by her. When he encounters Dori again at the drive-in, they connect over their shared experiences of caregiving—he for his mom, and she for her dad, who is in a wheelchair. When she learns he’s an orphan, Dori asks if he’s in DSS care, revealing that social services once doubted her father’s ability to care for her. She narrowly avoided being taken away and even knows Baggy Eyes. Demon clumsily tries to ask her out but stumbles over his words. When she asks what he’s so afraid of, he confesses it’s the thought of not seeing her again. She laughs, telling him he’s the kind of guy girls will be writing to in prison. Demon is thrilled that she now knows his name.
At the drive-in, Demon also runs into Tommy, who has aged out of the foster system and is living with roommates in an apartment. Tommy mentions he has a long-distance girlfriend in Pennsylvania. Fast Forward is also there with a girl, but the night takes a turn when Rose angrily confronts him, and Fast Forward cruelly dismisses her, saying “less hideous girls” have done more to get into his car. Demon is shocked by his callousness. Curious and concerned, Demon follows Rose, ostensibly to return Fast Forward’s change. Rose bitterly reveals the truth about Fast Forward: he doesn’t own a farm—he’s just a barn-hand. She further shocks Demon by explaining that she was once his adopted sister. Her parents un-adopted Fast Forward when he was nine because he regularly hurt or tried to kill his foster siblings. He once threw a claw hammer at Rose, leaving the scar on her face.
Demon gets drunk to try to forget what he’s learned about Fast Forward. Angus finds him passed out in his own vomit on the stairs and takes care of him. She warns him that his other friends aren’t looking out for him and that he needs to take better care of himself.
Analysis
The September 11th attacks, while profoundly affecting the nation, feel abstract to Demon and his classmates. The absence of visible skyscrapers or prominent targets in their economically devastated area underscores their detachment from national narratives of prosperity or vulnerability. Instead, the attacks exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, with increased military recruitment targeting the economically desperate youth of Lee County. This predatory targeting parallels the exploitation of their community by opioid companies, drawing a connection between systemic neglect and individual exploitation.
Fast Forward’s association with opioids, symbolized by his purchases of syringes and Ivermectin, foreshadows the insidious spread of addiction in Demon’s world. His presence at Aunt June’s Fourth of July party, distributing pills through Mouse, highlights how deeply addiction has permeated their community. The juxtaposition of nostalgia for communal gatherings with the dark reality of drug use captures the duality of small-town life—warmth and connection alongside despair and ruin.
The revelations about Fast Forward’s past radically recontextualize his earlier behavior, transforming him from a charismatic, almost mythic figure into a deeply flawed and dangerous individual. For much of the novel, Fast Forward embodies a kind of swaggering confidence that captivates Demon and others around him. His nicknames for the boys at Creaky’s foster home, including “Diamond” for Demon, seem to affirm their worth in a way they rarely experience. Demon’s admiration for Fast Forward hinges on this performative magnetism, mistaking it for authentic leadership and strength.
However, learning about Fast Forward’s violent past—his repeated attempts to harm or even kill his foster siblings and his eventual abandonment by his adoptive parents—casts his charm in a far darker light. His ability to manipulate and control those around him takes on a sinister dimension, exposing how deeply ingrained his need for dominance truly is. The story of the claw hammer incident with Rose, leaving her permanently scarred, is particularly chilling. It not only contextualizes her bitterness and vulnerability but also solidifies Fast Forward as a figure whose power is built on the destruction of others.
Mouse’s derision of Lee County’s rural life, paired with Demon’s defensive “Welcome to Dixie” comment, illustrates the pervasive stereotypes that dehumanize rural communities. While Demon aligns with progressive values, he feels excluded from their consideration of rural Appalachians, often portrayed as caricatures in popular media. This exclusion reinforces his sense of invisibility and misrepresentation, deepening his resentment toward those who claim to advocate for marginalized groups while ignoring his community’s struggles.
