The Parker Inheritance

“Find the path. Solve the puzzle.”

A handwritten note from Abigail Caldwell to Candice references the sentiment that the path forward isn’t always visible; Candice eventually realizes that her grandmother had been trying to prepare her to solve the mystery of the Parker inheritance. Candice is skeptical about sharing this personal connection to the case with Brandon, but after some time she shares it with him as well.

“An inheritance. A fortune. Enough for them to keep their house. Enough to stop them from moving.”

One of the primary conflicts of the novel is an internal one for young Candice, who struggles with complicated feelings about her parents’ divorce and lack of money. When she realizes that she could find “a fortune” and stop her life from changing as drastically, she is newly motivated to solve the mystery. This early way of thinking also foreshadows Candice’s learning process as she figures out that solving the mystery means much more than keeping her family’s house.

“This is Candice. I’m good. Can’t wait to see you.” 

An underlying theme of the novel centers on Candice being able to stand up for herself and feel clear about her perspectives. Her father, Joe, repeatedly calls her Candi instead of Candice, though, like in the example above, Candice avoids directly telling him her preference. Later, Candice demonstrates her new confidence and sense of self by explicitly correcting her father and requesting that he call her by her full name. 

“Will you meet me at the big oak tree in Vickers Park at 5:00?”

Many characters in the novel feel forced to hide something about their identity, but none more significantly than Reggie, who even starts his relationship with Siobhan using a secretive, anonymous note. Reggie is quietly intelligent, solving Siobhan’s riddle easily and inviting her to meet him at Vickers Park. This foreshadows both some of their eventual conflict—he hides his real identity and therefore cannot be with Siobhan—as well as revealing an important part of Reggie’s personality that isn’t clear from his surface as a poor, hard-working athlete. 

“Pressure built behind her eyes, but Candice willed it away.”

Much of the novel’s plot supports readers to think about the emotional regulation that many young adults must learn as they begin facing more complex issues in their own lives. Especially towards the beginning of the book, Candice struggles to face her own emotions and to understand how she is feeling. As she continues growing, she develops a better sense of herself and communicates her needs more appropriately, illustrating a more mature emotional state.

“‘You think coloreds are better than whites, boy?’ Marion Allen asked.”

Varian Johnson highlights the explicit racism of 1950s Southern America through the Allen family; Marion Allen is particularly volatile in his statements and behavior. Marion’s assertive question is intended as a challenge to re-establish the status quo that whites are indeed the people who “are better.” Though Candice and Brandon encounter racism in their own in the present day, historical examples like this one help illustrate a more nuanced portrait of what life was like for Black people in the 1950s (and prior). 

“It would be good to talk to someone else. Someone older—but not an adult. Someone who might actually believe them instead of calling them kids.” 

Much of the narrative of the novel centers on two children as the protagonists; as young people, Candice and Brandon navigate a world that is unsupportive of those who are not adults. Though they find many ways to work around this, including leveraging their relationship with Brandon’s older sister, it is difficult for them to figure out which other adults they can trust with the secrets of their investigation. Many of the adults in their lives don’t really believe that they are capable of the task they are undertaking; these adults are only supportive after Candice and Brandon solve the mystery.

“Our boys won. That meant something.”

In 1957, the all-Black boys’ tennis team from Perkins High beats the all-white team from Wallace High. This fated event is the catalyst for a whole series of consequences, including the Washingtons being pushed out of town and Reggie changing his identity to white. Despite the tragic events that follow the tennis match, the fact that Perkins wins is an important marker for some of the participants, including Coach Dub, who feels that this is a small move towards equity. 

“Siobhan had asked him once why he played with the kids. His reply: Because I didn’t have anyone to do it for me.”

Reggie’s truly caring personality is revealed in this quote. Though his childhood left much to be desired, Reggie used this to motivate himself to be supportive to the people around him. This kindness is harmed significantly by the events of the 1957 tennis match, after which Reggie is forced apart from Siobhan and changes his identity. He is only able to recover this perspective much later in life, which is illustrated most poignantly in a final scene where he has a kind interaction with two-year-old Candice.

“(1.) Siobhan’s father loved tennis, but he grew up idolizing a team in another sport. Too (2.) Leanne Washington’s days as a volunteer at her church did more for Lambert’s children than most people will ever know. Three (3.) She was truly greater than the sum of her parts. For (4.) She loved all.”

This summary of the central clues is provided after Candice and Brandon’s realize that there are four numbered clues hidden in James Parker’s letter. They rearrange the ideas in the letter to begin identifying how to solve each clue, later realizing that the answers themselves are also numbers, with hints like “loved all” meaning zero as in tennis scoring.

“All she saw was a sea of white faces. And they were all angry.”

Before being escorted away from the tennis match, Siobhan looks around trying to find Reggie, but can only see the violence of the white mob around her. This anger, which will lead to more violence, is the result of white people in the 1950s not being able to maintain their veneer of superiority over their Black neighbors. Though Siobhan is only a teenager at the time, she reflects back on this moment as she becomes an adult and must decide whether to seek justice or forgiveness. 

“A single eye wasn’t enough to make up for what they did to him and Coach Dub. What they threatened to do to Siobhan. They had to pay.”

Unlike Siobhan, Reggie is unable to forgive the Allens and other white residents of Lambert for their violent, hateful actions. As he establishes himself financially as a white-passing entrepreneur, he decides to seek vengeance on the Allen family and on the city of Lambert. Reggie is only willing to forgive later in his life after reconciling with Siobhan and realizing that there are some people in Lambert who might deserve his help.

“Where it’s safe to be whoever you want to be. Where you don’t have to worry about people saying nasty things to you on the basketball court.” 

Brandon describes his idea for an LGBTQ+ basketball summer camp to Candice after explaining that his best friend, Quincy, is gay. Though Brandon doesn’t say anything about his own identity, it is clear that part of the impetus for his idea is that he is frequently bullied for deviating from the norm of masculinity. Candice is very supportive of his idea.

“But when the time came to actually put in the real work—going to therapy, trying to find a new job, taking responsibility for his actions—he would shrink back into the shell of a man he had become.”

Coach Dub is profoundly impacted by the events following the 1957 tennis match. In this quote, he is shown from Siobhan’s perspective as a “shell of a man” who refuses to recover from the violence and hatred he experienced. Though Coach Dub isn’t a central character of the novel, he is an important example of the devastating impact that institutional and social racism can have on an individual person: his entire life is changed for the worse after the tennis match, and he has little motivation to keep fighting for justice after that. 

“The truth of the matter was, no one knew the real James Parker. Every meaningful detail about his real life remained hidden away, like the contents of a safety-deposit box that even he had lost the key to.”

This allusion to a safety-deposit box hints at the eventual discovery of the real safety-deposit box with $40 million of James Parker’s fortune. In the real box, Parker also includes several mementos of his “real” life with Siobhan, including her red scarf and photographs. The safety-deposit box serves as a helpful metaphor for the ways that Reggie Bradley had to lock away his true identity until the right person could find the key and unlock it.

“But he was never ready. Was never powerful enough. Rich enough.”

Despite his newfound success and wealth, Reggie Bradley never feels “ready” to reach back out and contact Siobhan. He keeps himself isolated in his new white identity and predominantly white world, trying to disconnect from his past. Unfortunately for Reggie, this unhealthy strategy denies him true happiness for many years. Towards the conclusion, Reggie is forced to realize that his insecurity is what lost him years of life with Siobhan, and he begins working to make repairs. 

“A name helps to define who we are. It reminds us of our history.”

In this profound statement to James Parker, Siobhan challenges him to re-think his perspective on names and history. He has been operating under a false identity for many years, losing his compass and sense of self as a result. As the novel concludes, James Parker reclaims his real name, Reggie, and turns his back on the life he lived as James Parker. 

“There are creams you can take. Medicine—”

When James Parker and Siobhan Washington first reunite as older people, Parker continues espousing his beliefs in living as a white-passing person, suggesting that Siobhan try to do the same. She takes great offense at this suggestion, causing a longer rift between the two. Later, Parker will apologize for his callousness and disrespect, helping to reconcile with Siobhan. 

“I can do better, Siobhan. I promise.”

James Parker’s long search to get revenge on the Allens limits his perspective and keeps him from using his position of wealth and power for any positive change. After she repeatedly challenges his perspectives, he decides that he “can do better,” which is the beginning of a long journey for him to work for justice both in his own life and in the city of Lambert. Siobhan waits until there is tangible evidence of this “promise” before taking James back.

“And you have the audacity to say it’s his fault for keeping us apart?”

One of James Parker’s false narratives is that Enoch Washington is at fault for James’s lengthy separation from Siobhan. She directly challenges this, arguing that James’s own decision to become white-passing and disconnect from his identity is the real reason that they weren’t able to be together. This is an important learning moment for James, as he is forced to begin confronting his ignorance.

“You can save Vista Heights.”

Though much of the novel’s plot revolves around more emotional motivations for solving the case of the Parker inheritance, an underlying reason is for the historically Black community of Vista Heights to get financial support. This is actually the main reason that Abigail Caldwell decides to try to crack the case explained by the letter. Towards the conclusion of the novel, Candice and Brandon also develop their own stake in helping their neighborhood.

“In some ways, her father was like Reggie Bradley. He got everything he wanted, but at a horrible price. He had to hide his real self.” 

As Candice reflects on her new knowledge that her father is gay, she makes an important connection between her father and Reggie Bradley. Both men had to hide their true identities to try to have what they wanted, but the “horrible price” was, in both cases, very hard to pay. Luckily, Candice’s father finds an easier, and more expedient solution: coming clean to his wife and later to his daughter. Reggie Bradley must go through a much lengthier process to resolve his choice to hide his identity. 

“I want you to know, there’s nothing wrong with Brandon […] He is perfect just the way he is.”

In a striking example of Candice’s growth and maturity, she explains to Brandon’s grandfather, Mr. Gibbs, just how wrong he is to treat his grandson the way he does. Mr. Gibbs consistently acts as if Brandon is being disrespectful by being himself; Candice explains that Brandon is “perfect just the way he is.” This is an important moment both for Candice and Brandon. For Candice, this represents her capacity to stand up for herself and those she cares about; for Brandon, it illustrates that he has a new, strong friend who cares about who he is as a whole person.