61 pages • 2 hours read
Tiffany D. JacksonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Chapters 1-6
Part 1, Chapters 7-12
Part 1, Chapters 13-19
Part 1, Chapters 20-24
Part 1, Chapters 25-30
Part 2, Chapters 31-37
Part 2, Chapters 38-44
Part 2, Chapters 45-50
Part 2, Chapters 51-56
Part 3, Chapters 57-61
Part 3, Chapters 62-67
Part 3, Chapters 68-72
Part 4, Chapters 73-78
Part 4, Chapters 79-84
Part 4, Chapters 85-90
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
In the present day, Enchanted stands in Korey’s penthouse as police knock on the door. She struggles to figure out what to do, and suddenly she hears her father call from the outside: “Enchanted? It’s Daddy. Please, baby. Open the door. Let us know you’re OK” (232).
In the past, Enchanted returns home and starts going through codeine withdrawals. She is sick for days, tormented by nightmares, and terrified of speaking to a therapist. Her mother buys her a new phone, but when Enchanted powers it up, a “wave of text messages floods [her] screen” (236), all from Korey. Korey seems to be everywhere, and even getting back into the swimming pool triggers intense memories of Korey’s abuse. Enchanted feels like “Trying to reclaim [her] life is a lot like drowning” (238), and she has a long road to recovery.
Enchanted feels like her father has been avoiding her, and she decides to ask him to trim her hair like before. Enchanted feels nervous and trapped in the small bathroom and has to remind herself that “It’s just Daddy [...] [She’s] home and [she’s] safe” (240). As she thinks about how worried and upset her parents must have been when she ignored their calls, she bursts into tears. Daddy sets down the clippers and embraces her, assuring her that “None of this is [her] fault. Not one drop of it. No child should ever take the blame for a man’s actions” (241).
Enchanted returns to school, but can’t find Gab. Shea lashes out at Enchanted, blaming her for putting their family through so much pain and embarrassment. Enchanted thinks about how she “gave up [her] dream to protect [Shea]” (244), but decides not to mention it. Louie, the music manager from Charlotte, comes to Enchanted’s house and reveals that lots of people know about Korey’s abuse of young women, but the industry allows his behavior because he makes so much money for the record labels. He warns the Jones that “If [they] go to the police, labels will blackball [Enchanted]” (246), and her career will be over. Louie wants to be Enchanted’s manager and not let Korey ruin her dreams.
Louie arranges for Enchanted to perform at the Apollo Theater, but in the middle of her song, Enchanted thinks that she sees Korey on the stage, playing the drums. She finishes her song, then runs offstage terrified, wondering “Was this all a trap from the start? What if he takes [her]?” (250). She longs to run again, but Korey is nowhere to be found. She knows she can’t tell her mother what she saw, or “she’ll never let [Enchanted] out of her sight for as long as [she lives]” (251).
The beginning of Part 3 takes the reader back to the present-day where Enchanted stands in Korey’s blood-soaked penthouse, panicking and confused. The mood shifts, however, when Enchanted hears her father calling for her outside the door. He wants to know if she is okay, and this sentiment lingers throughout the beginning of Part 3. As the Will and Willow group chat foreshadowed, Enchanted’s parents aren’t angry with her: In fact, they seem to be more angry with themselves for allowing their daughter to go off with a man they barely knew just because he was a celebrity. Enchanted’s parents feel guilt and shame of their own, but their love and support shines through in the beginning of Part 3. Their persistent patience stands in stark contrast to Korey’s version of “love” that was defined by anger and manipulation.
Part 3 signals a transition for Enchanted, and she struggles to adapt to life after Korey and re-enter the world she knew before. She tries to slide back into her usual routine and relationships, but she has been changed by her time with Korey. The severity of her codeine withdrawal reveals just how heavily Korey relied on drugs to keep her disoriented and compliant, and her trauma response in the swimming pool reminds her that Korey’s influence seems to have affected everything she once loved. The haircut with her father reminds her of her shame, and Shea’s venomous outburst shows her that not everyone will be supportive of her adjustment back to the real world. Enchanted has a long road ahead of her, and reclaiming her life will require steady swimming.
As the plot shifts to the aftermath of the abuse, Jackson also keeps the music and recording industry under the reader’s consideration. Louie truly believes in Enchanted’s abilities as a singer, but even he advises her to stay silent about the abuse, fearing it will inhibit her budding career. Here, Jackson explores how even though Louie doesn’t financially benefit directly from Korey, his own business interests indirectly facilitate shame and secrecy and enable Korey’s abusive behavior.
By Tiffany D. Jackson