Lock Every Door: A Novel

Riley Sager uses supporting character Ingrid Gallagher to instigate narrative tension and compel Jules’s Pursuit of Truth in a World of Deception. Ingrid and Jules meet and become friendly on the first day that Jules moves into the Bartholomew, but it is Ingrid’s disappearance that incites action and breaks Jules out of her alienated apathy. Ingrid’s disappearance from the Bartholomew catalyzes Jules’s solo investigation of the Bartholomew. Jules doesn’t know Ingrid well, but she immediately devotes herself to recovering her new friend. Because Ingrid’s disappearance reminds her of her sister’s disappearance, Jules is determined not to let another innocent young woman vanish forever without answers (163). Finding Ingrid becomes Jules’s primary mission and therefore accelerates the narrative pacing and amplifies the narrative tension.

Ingrid is Jules’s equal. Both characters come from similar economic backgrounds, and neither has a family or close network of friends. Their economic and social vulnerability separates them from the Bartholomew’s wealthy residents, illustrating the theme of Wealthy–Vulnerable Power Dynamics. Ingrid’s admissions of loneliness further compel the two characters together. The author demonstrates their similarity when Jules forgives Ingrid for intentionally cutting her in the hall for money. Jules doesn’t blame Ingrid, because she understands what it’s like to be in her position and see “an easy way to make a lot of money” (291). Jules imagines herself in Ingrid’s position and assumes that she would have behaved similarly. Jules therefore learns to empathize with her fellow sitters, establishing camaraderie and solidarity through her connection with Ingrid.

The relationship between Jules and Ingrid also illustrates the Psychological Effects of Isolation and Loneliness. Before Ingrid, Jules lived her life believing no one understood her loneliness, despair, and isolation, making decisions based on that assumption. Ingrid overturns this misconception. Furthermore, Ingrid’s vibrant personality intrigues Jules and reawakens her to her own life. When they first spend time together in Central Park, Jules is unsure what to make of Ingrid’s constant talking and endless energy. However, she quickly realizes that Ingrid reminds Jules of her sister Jane. Jane similarly drew Jules out of herself and taught her how to live more intentionally. After Jules finds Ingrid, they develop a deep and lasting friendship. Their parallel experiences at the apartment building initiate their bond. This friendship bolsters Jules’s spirits and supports her in her new life.

Nick Bartholomew is the antagonist of the novel. True to the tropes of the psychological thriller genre, Nick appears friendly and hospitable when Jules first meets him. After she cuts her arm during her collision with Ingrid, Jules goes to Nick for help and is immediately charmed by the handsome, young doctor. He poses as a kindly and welcoming nurturer because he wants to earn her affection and trust. In turn, as Jules later discovers, Nick plans to take advantage of her vulnerability and to exploit her desperation. Jules falls for Nick’s deception, in part because, as a wealthy, good-looking doctor, he seems like the type of person she should be able to trust. This supports the theme of Wealthy–Vulnerable Power Dynamics.

Illustrating the theme of Pursuit of Truth in a World of Deception. Nick’s early availability to help Jules, for example, when Ingrid cuts her in the lobby, also leads Jules to trust him. Because he lives across the hall from her, he is always present when she needs help. He also seems to genuinely care what happened to Ingrid, leading her to increasingly rely on him. He also manipulates her by seeming to help her; for example, he promises not to tell anyone about her attempts to speak to residents. Jules sleeps with Nick after he helps her break into and snoop through Ingrid’s apartment. Though Jules does not expect that she and Nick will “fall in love, get married, and live out [their] days on the top floor of the Bartholomew” (214), her connection with him does excite her. Nick is the first person she’s been with since her ex, Andrew, cheated on her. Nick seems to see, understand, and care about her in ways Andrew did not. Nick feels like the sort of man that Jules has always imagined herself with. Though she ultimately realizes trusting him was a mistake, the Psychological Effects of Isolation and Loneliness make it easy for Jules to accept Nick’s companionship.

Nick emerges as an antagonist when Jules discovers that he has Ingrid’s cell phone. After the discovery, he no longer tries to disguise his nefarious activities from her, revealing his true character. As Jules learns more about the Bartholomew and its history, she discovers that Nick is the mastermind behind all of the building’s strange events, another trope of the psychological thriller genre. Sager reveals that Nick instigated the disappearances of all the apartment sitters, using gaslighting, manipulation, and intimidation to silence anyone who investigates. Although Nick’s great-grandfather, Dr. Thomas Bartholomew, was the original mastermind of the Bartholomew’s organ transplant, Nick revived Thomas’s philosophies and illicit operations in the years since his death. Through this, the author suggests that the imbalance of power between the wealthy and vulnerable is generational, based on longstanding prejudice against people in poverty. Ultimately, Nick’s story parallels Thomas’s, as he also dies by suicide when he jumps off the Bartholomew roof. Like his great-grandfather, he fears being convicted for his crimes and losing his privilege. His character therefore proves as cowardly as his relatives were.