One of Us Is Back

Phoebe Lawton is a deuteragonist and the second first-person narrator of One of Us Is Back. Phoebe is one of the youngest members of the Bayview Crew, having become a part of the crew during the truth or dare game in the second novel, One of Us Is Next. Phoebe’s character best illustrates The Peril of Keeping Secrets. Phoebe has a secret that she is attempting to hide from her friends, and this secret dictates her interactions with the Bayview Crew—specifically with Knox Meyers, Phoebe’s love interest. Secrets are a major theme of this series, beginning with Simon’s habit of revealing secrets in his app, About That, in One of Us Is Lying. This continues as Phoebe struggles with her secret: Her brother, Owen, was working with the architect of the truth or dare game that led to Brandon’s death.

Phoebe’s secret isolates her from the group, and this places her directly in the path of the new game architect, Chelsea Alton. Chelsea is targeting people who have done something wrong on an escalating scale and punishing them in ways that she believes will teach them a lesson. Learning the truth about Owen justifies Chelsea kidnapping Phoebe and marking her with the word “Practice” on her arm. Chelsea’s punishment fuels Phoebe’s belief that she should be punished for protecting her brother and continues to isolate her from her friends during a time when the group is pulling together to protect one another from danger. Even when Phoebe attempts to reach out and share her burden with someone, she is rebuffed: first by her sister placing her own emotional struggle ahead of Phoebe’s, and then with Knox’s insistence that Phoebe needs to tell everyone what Owen did for Owen’s sake.

In the end, Phoebe plays a key role in revealing Chelsea’s identity and stopping the game. In the aftermath, the truth comes out, and Owen gets the help he needs, as well as the sympathy of the community. Proving her fears wrong allows Phoebe to put down her burden and look optimistically to the future. Phoebe’s struggle was based largely on the fact that the potential consequences she feared were far worse than the consequences that actually happened. This is another theme that parallels those of the first book.

Nathaniel “Nate” Macauley is the third deuteragonist and first-person narrator of One of Us Is Back. Nate is a high school graduate who was once a petty criminal accused of killing his classmate, Simon Kelleher. Nate’s problems originated from the instability of his family life. Both of Nate’s parents struggle with addiction. His mother suffers from bipolar disorder, and she used drugs and alcohol to treat it. His father, Patrick, is addicted to alcohol. Nate grew up forced to be the adult in his home even though he was still a kid. This created a lack of trust and a wariness around people that made it difficult for Nate to forge new relationships.

In One of Us Is Back, both Nate’s parents are in recovery. While this is a good sign, Nate still struggles with trust and is constantly looking for signs that one or both of his parents are slipping back into their addiction. This puts a strain on his relationship with his parents and the burden of being the adult back on Nate’s shoulders. Nate’s role in this novel best illustrates the theme of Seeking and Offering Redemption. Not only do both Nate’s parents stay sober, but his father also inherits money that he chooses to share with Nate. Although money cannot make up for years of neglect, it will help Nate move securely into the future. With the burden of caring for his parents off his shoulders, Nate can forge a better relationship not only with his parents but with everyone in his life.

Evie, or Chelsea Alton, is the novel’s main antagonist. Evie works at Café Contigo with Phoebe and appears to be patient and kind, constantly stepping up to fill the void Phoebe leaves as she struggles with personal issues. However, Evie has a breaking point, and this moment reveals that Evie keeps score of other people’s mistakes and holds grudges. This crack in Evie’s façade hints at her true identity and her purpose in Bayview.

Chelsea Alton is the daughter of Alexander Alton, an advertising executive who died in a drowning accident six years before the novel begins. Alexander’s death was not an accident, and it is the motive for Chelsea’s game, practice makes perfect. As in the previous novels in the series, the antagonist is seeking revenge to punish those who harmed their family. Chelsea’s game ties back to a letter Simon sent before his death, informing her of the truth behind her father’s death. With this letter, Simon draws Chelsea into the game he played while he was alive: manipulating people with their secrets to gain power over them. The game also ties in with Jared’s truth or dare game in the second novel, paralleling Jared’s motives and style of playing games.

Chelsea intends to use her father’s last ad campaign “Practice Makes Perfect” to teach Reggie and Phoebe that their behavior was wrong but can be corrected. Instead, her plans, especially with Reggie, go terribly wrong. These victims are meant to contrast with her final victim, Jake Riordan, whose behavior could not be corrected from Chelsea’s viewpoint. Chelsea wants to show that the privileged people of Bayview can no longer get away with their crimes by making an example of Jake. Chelsea’s actions come not from a desire for justice but from a need for revenge. In this way, she is a foil for Jake, who placed himself in the role of executioner in her father’s death.