One of Us Is Next

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prelude-Chapter 6

Chapters 7-11

Chapters 12-15

Interlude-Chapter 20

Chapters 21-25

Chapters 26-30

Chapters 31-34

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Effects of Bullying and Gossip

The Truth or Dare game utilizes people’s insecurities to control the Bayview High populace. Gossip is portrayed, “as a weapon” (66). The lasting effects of bullying affect each one of the three protagonists. Phoebe is the first to suffer from the exposure of a personal secret. She becomes the punch line for nearly every joke told at school, specifically by Sean Murdock and Brandon Weber. The revealing of Phoebe’s secret, that she slept with her sister’s boyfriend, drives a wedge between her and her sister, Emma. Emma is also bullied at school, with many students propositioning a three way with her and Phoebe. Phoebe is also still grieving the loss of her father, and with the relentless bullying occurring at school, she loses all refuge from that grief.

Likewise, Maeve and Knox are bullied as well. Maeve is bullied primarily for her leukemia and for the secret that was revealed about her relationship with Knox. Maeve suffers from health issues and worries that her leukemia has returned, all while missing her older sister, Bronwyn. Lastly, Knox is bullied for his inability to sleep with Maeve. Sean and Brandon tape limp noodles and Viagra to his locker, mocking him. Knox also feels pressure while at home as his sisters pester him about his love life and his father constantly degrades him for his work ethic.

Through Phoebe, Maeve and Knox, it becomes clear that bullying does not end when school hours do. Usually, the bullying is intensified by uncomfortable and stressful situations occurring at home. While the group shows empathy to one another, there is a sense that no one ever fully knows the entire story of any given situation. Perspective is utilized in the narrative to see the true effects of the Truth or Dare game. By switching narration, contextualization for each truth that is revealed, exposing them as one-sided distortions of reality. While the game is somewhat responsible for bringing Phoebe, Maeve, and Knox together, it causes them each pain as well. Phoebe is ostracized for her sexual history, Maeve is labeled as the weak, sick girl who had cancer, and Knox is emasculated.

The cyberbullying and in-person harassment is directly linked, and this is explicitly shown throughout the novel. The texts app serve as a catalyst for physical representations of bullying. The two often come hand in hand, further showcasing how difficult it is to escape harassment. With the advent of technology, bullying has taken on a new form, and this modern evolution is incorporated into the novel. The game, according to Knox, has “a video game quality to all this that has [him] weirdly hooked” (59). Owen’s actions specifically demonstrate this phenomenon as he implicates himself in the Truth or Dare game, because his spying goes unnoticed and because of his inability to comprehend the dangers of social media. Owen, along with Emma and Jared, portrays a revenge motivation for the bullying. The injustices they’ve been dealt with in life lead to Jared, Emma, and by extension, Owen, to weaponize gossip to purposefully hurt those who have wronged them.

Overcoming Grief and Loss

An inability to overcome the loss of a loved one, and further, the inability to reach a sense of closure, is seen in the Lawton family. Their dad is portrayed as a very wise and kind man, who always put his children first and facilitated healthy relationships between them. After his passing, Phoebe’s family loses those traits with him. Phoebe routinely feels like her family doesn’t make sense without her dad. The new dynamics of their family fosters an environment of children susceptible to abuse, anger, and manipulation. Emma manipulates Jared into seeking revenge after she learns that Brandon Weber is responsible for her father’s death. Owen portrays similar traits but acts not only out of grief toward his father but also in the hopes that his sisters will cease fighting and spend time with him. The Lawton siblings in particular demonstrate how children who have suffered any sort of trauma are more susceptible to further abuse, manipulation, or becoming a bully themselves out of anger.

The Bayview High community is no stranger to loss. One Of Us Is Next is contextualized by the death of Simon Kelleher and is complicated by the death of Brandon Weber. The entire community is still grieving from the year before, seen through both the reports of Liz Rosen and the inclusion of characters from the first novel in the series. Many characters concede that Bayview High is susceptible to gossip and games like the Truth or Dare game. A student named Lucy Chen describes the game as “dangerous” saying, “Bayview High is a high-risk population when it comes to this kind of thing’ (44). Despite a no-tolerance policy toward bullying, the Truth or Dare app is created and thrives in the hotbed of grief and loss. Already feeling a cumulative sense of scandal and unease, the students apt to play over coming clean to authorities and ending the game for good. The effects that grief has on an individual and a population can vary greatly, and specific aspects of this experience are highlighted, such as coping with change, establishing a new sense of self, and becoming vulnerable to one’s surroundings.

The Power of Challenging Social Norms

The novel often communicates that social media only has power if it is given power. This theme is bolstered when the protagonists come to realize that being oneself and going against the status quo can have its own power. Each of the three protagonists eventually break through the stereotypical identities they have been labeled. Phoebe exclaims such a thought when she says, “I don’t understand why the world insists on stuffing kids into boxes we never asked for, and then gets mad when we won’t stay there” (134). Phoebe establishes a healthy relationship with sex and realizes that she shouldn’t punish herself forever over one mistake. Maeve learns that she doesn’t have to be the Cancer Girl and takes accountability for her life. Lastly, Knox learns that he doesn’t have to conform to stereotypical gender roles to be brave and strong. Each character liberates themselves from the confines of stereotypes and understands that their identities aren’t tied to their high school experiences. The key lesson they learn throughout the novel is to rely on themselves, and that the best kind of validation is self-validation.

As Phoebe, Maeve, and Knox challenge their social norms, they’re often met with resentment. The Bayview High community excludes Phoebe, Maeve, and Knox for breaching social groups through bullying and other acts of violence. Jules and Monica make fun of Phoebe for getting coffee with Knox and Brandon assaults Phoebe when she refuses to hook up with him. Knox is emasculated by the Bayview High community to the extent that he quits the play entirely after his locker is vandalized. While Maeve is not directly bullied for the reveal of her secret, she is typically seen as the Cancer Girl, trapped in a single narrative that she did not chose for herself. Maeve’s liberation from such a narration is an internal battle, where she overcomes her own fears and shortcomings. As the characters come of age, they negate societal norms for the betterment of their lives, and the lives of their loved ones.