The Teacher

Eve’s surprise resurrection signals her own journey of growth and maturation. First, her survival was foreshadowed in previous chapters, such as when she woke up in the kitchen and Nate strangled her. Neither Addie nor Nate verify that Eve is really dead, so when Nate begins to suspect that Eve is behind the Poe imagery someone is using to taunt him, it is easy to believe that she survived. The appearance of Eve’s muddy shoes is the first sign of her growth. Prior to Nate and Addie’s attack, she had sought validation through shoe shopping but had hidden the shoes from Nate. Now, she not only displays them around the house but also has dirtied them to show that she has broken with her former self. Instead of hoping that the shoes will rekindle Nate’s attraction, she uses them to regain her autonomy and finally exert power over Nate.

Once Nate returns to the pumpkin patch, he is fully under Eve’s control. Eve has the power to decide what will happen to Nate, and she takes full advantage of the situation. Her measured response to Jay’s warning that she will kill Nate indicates that she isn’t panicked or lashing out; she is methodical and intentional in her decision. With control over whether Nate lives or dies, she has upended their relationship and escaped the person who has manipulated and controlled her since she was a teenager.

McFadden uses plot twists in the final section that are characteristic of psychological thrillers. First, McFadden reveals that Eve was only 15 when Nate first seduced her. This twist complicates Eve’s character because it suddenly seems possible that she’s complicit in Nate’s abuse because she knows he’s a predator. It’s more likely that she continued to be under his spell; he married her, so she felt as special and singled out as Addie and Kenzie did when Nate chose each of them to be his “soulmate.” She spent much of their marriage being compliant to his wants and needs.

The second plot twist also complicates Eve’s character: Hudson and Jay are revealed to be the same person. Consequently, Eve was having sex with a student as well, but McFadden offers no hint that Eve is aware that Jay is a high school student at Caseham. She mentions hearing a woman and baby crying when he receives phone calls, and she suggests that he is being unfaithful to a partner who has a baby. McFadden offers no chapter from Hudson’s/Jay’s point of view, but it seems impossible that he wouldn’t have known that Eve was a teacher at his high school. It’s plausible that he cared for her and sensed that her shoe obsession filled a void left by her unhappy marriage.

The revelation of Hudson as Jay also changes the perception of Hudson’s participation in Nate’s murder; it becomes clear why Jay is outraged to learn that Nate was having a sexual relationship with Addie. He is outraged not only because she’s underage but also because she is his best friend. His participation in Nate’s murder also presents a clear contrast with his role in the death of Addie’s father; then, he was overcome by the horror of the accident, wouldn’t hear Addie’s logic, and wanted to involve the police. This time, he makes a choice to be involved to help someone he cares about; he listens to Eve and understands her reasons for her choice. Hudson/Jay agrees to help her because he wants to protect and defend two people he cares about.