55 pages • 1 hour read
Ana HuangTwisted Lies (Twisted, #4)
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Plants
Huang uses natural symbolism often throughout the Twisted series, and this novel is no different, as she uses plants to symbolize the blossoming connection between Christian and Stella. Their private relationship quite literally began due to a deal made whereby Stella is expected to care for the plants in Christian’s apartment and, in return, he offers her a lower rent. In their first conversation of the novel, Christian tells Stella that the plants in his apartment are doing well. She responds by claiming, “They just need a little love and attention to thrive” (6). Christian doesn’t believe in love and does not give attention to anything but his business, which is why he needs Stella to keep the plants alive in the first place. This reflects the way he also treats his personal—specifically romantic—life. By not giving it the time or attention needed, these aspects of his life are sorely lacking.
At the first gala they attend together, Christian’s thoughts race when he sees green-eyed Stella in a green dress: “Green eyes. Green dress. Symbolic of life and nature. Green. Apparently it was my new favorite fucking color” (74-75). Immediately after, her scent is described as “fresh florals and greenery” (75). This plant imagery illustrates how their love is about to blossom in the coming chapters.
When their relationship temporarily ends, Christian is left alone in his apartment, where he surveys the collection of plants. It’s revealed he has “been watering and taking care of them religiously since Stella left,” but “no matter how much care [he] g[ives] them, they still look[] sad and droopy, like they kn[o]w their usual caregiver [i]s gone and [i]s never coming back” (429). The perception of the plants in this passage reflects the way Christian feels about his relationship with Stella. While he’s struggling to make amends, as time passes, he becomes less hopeful that he can bring their relationship back to life. His love and attention might have come too late.
Puzzles
Christian’s enjoyment of puzzles symbolizes his capability of crossing moral and personal boundaries. He has a 10,000-piece puzzle hanging in his office and views crosswords, jigsaws, and ciphers as things that “fe[e]d [his] insatiable need for a challenge. Stimulation. Something to brighten up the ennui of a world that [i]s always five steps behind” (18-19). Christian also entertains monthly chess matches with Alex Volkov for stimulation and excitement. He searches for puzzles everywhere because, otherwise, the world is mundane and predictable. Yet when his puzzles involve people, whether it be friends or enemies, Christian’s desire to solve it can sometimes cross boundaries.
His propensity for puzzles causes an initial infatuation with Stella. She contradicts how he believes the world is supposed to work. When a boy robbed her and a police officer returned her purse back to her, she gave the boy all her money anyway and insisted that he be let off without punishment. In Christian’s mind, he does not let anything go unpunished and believes that this is how the world generally works.
To solve the puzzle of who Stella is and why her mind works the way it does, Christian gathers excessive amounts of information on her. Though this is an invasion of privacy, Christian admits to himself that “the harder the puzzle, the more [he] crave[s] and dread[s] its solution” (19). His obsession with the puzzle she poses and the invasions of privacy that he must commit in his attempt to solve it cause harm to their romantic relationship.
Mr. Unicorn
Mr. Unicorn, the raggedy stuffed animal that Stella has had since age seven, symbolizes the current state of her relationship with Christian and the level of trust and comfort she has with him. Though one of Mr. Unicorn’s “eyes [i]s crooked, half his hair ha[s] fallen out, and stuffing leak[s] from a tiny rip in his stomach” (67), Stella considers him as beautiful as the day she got him. Her perception of her stuffed animal illustrates the safety and comfort she finds in him. When her relationship with Christian first comes to light on her social media, she posts a poll asking her followers to vote between whether snuggling with Mr. Unicorn or Christian is better. At the time, Mr. Unicorn wins—symbolic of the fake relationship she has with Christian. Their relationship has yet to turn into something real, and, thus, Mr. Unicorn still offers her more comfort and protection than Christian’s presence.
Later on, when they travel to Hawaii for a Delamonte photo shoot, Stella decides not to bring Mr. Unicorn with her, reasoning, “He was my trusty companion whenever I traveled solo, but since Christian was joining me, I didn’t need to bring him” (286). At this point in the novel, Stella has achieved such a connection with Christian that he offers her the same feelings as Mr. Unicorn does. This also happens to be the trip during which she admits to her feelings for Christian and “cuddles against [him] like [he] [i]s a damn teddy bear” (300). They begin officially dating.
When Stella discovers the files that Christian has on her and feels betrayed by the huge invasion of privacy, she flees his home, hugging “Mr. Unicorn tight to [her] chest as [she] t[akes] the elevator down to the lobby” (397). Once again, Mr. Unicorn becomes her safety and protection when her relationship with Christian becomes uncertain.
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