The Coworker

“Okay, I’m not going to say Dawn isn’t a little strange. Or even very strange. Sometimes, people at the company make fun of her behind her back. And yes, she does like turtles more than any fully grown adult rightfully should. But she’s a very nice person. If they got to know her a little better, they would be nicer to her.”

Here, Natalie describes Dawn’s quirks and establishes her symbolic association with turtles. While portraying her coworker in terms of her differences from other people, Natalie presents herself as a defender of Dawn. McFadden therefore creates an environment that raises questions about the reliability of Natalie’s perspective, for Dawn’s emails suggest a completely different narrative.

“Seth and I have an understanding—he gives me a long rope, and I kick ass at sales.”

The theme of The Intricacies of Office Politics emerges as Natalie describes the management techniques of her boss, Seth. Admitting that Seth gives her preferential treatment over other colleagues, Natalie implies that he does so in recognition of her superior sales skills. However, she withholds the information that she and Seth have had an affair, and this omission proves her unreliability as a narrator.

“I shift my weight between my bright red Louboutins. I always wear heels, and red is my favorite color for shoes, but these are pinching my toes like crazy. I should’ve gotten a size eight.”

Throughout the novel, Natalie demonstrates that she is highly conscious of appearances, for she actively curates her own. The pain she tolerates from the designer high heels illustrates the importance that Natalie places on looks and their impact. The remark highlights the theme of The Deceptive Nature of Appearances.

“You know I’m shy. I have that in common with turtles—they are naturally shy animals. Not to say that they don’t have any personality, because they certainly do, but most turtles prefer to stay in their own environment. They don’t want to be played with. And when faced with any kind of threat, their first reaction isn’t to attack. It’s to retract into their shells and hide.”

In an email to Mia, Dawn clarifies her affinity with turtles. Like much of Dawn’s email content, the observation contains a grain of truth but is nonetheless is deliberately misleading. Like a turtle, Dawn dislikes new environments and the unwelcome attention of other people. However, her presentation of herself as an unthreatening creature is deceptive, underlining The Fine Line Between Victim and Perpetrator.

“I was beginning to feel like Seth was annoyed at me because that’s what my father always used to say when I would do something to annoy him. Jesus, Dawn. He said it a lot. Practically every day.”

McFadden uses Dawn’s descriptions of other people’s derisive responses to her socially awkward behavior to create a sympathetic view of the character. Here, Dawn compares her boss’s impatience to her father’s when she was a girl. The observation suggests a lifetime of being unfavorably viewed due to her differences.

“Whatever else you can fake, it’s hard to fake being a genuinely kind person. It’s also exceedingly rare.”

Here, Natalie praises Caleb’s authenticity and decency. The irony of her appraisal is revealed later in the narrative when Caleb is shown to have faked his attraction to Natalie. Nevertheless, Caleb proves to be essentially honorable compared to the other characters.

“I angle the compact to get a quick look at my hair—my roots are starting to show. For my entire childhood, I had perfect golden blond hair, then sometime during my early twenties, it evolved into this washed-out dirty blond color. But it’s nothing a trip to the salon won’t fix.”

In this passage, McFadden uses the motif of hair to illustrate The Deceptive Nature of Appearances, for the perfection of Natalie’s trademark “golden blond hair” is revealed to be an illusion. The “dirty blond color” beneath hints at the corrupt nature that Natalie conceals from the rest of the world. Natalie’s observation that her “roots are starting to show” foreshadows the dismantling of her image as a “golden girl.”

“She has very delicate facial features—a button nose and giant brown eyes that take up half her face—as well as a trim figure, and if she wanted she could be a knockout. But instead, she dresses in shapeless blouses and slacks that are at least a size too big for her.”

Natalie’s description of Dawn underlines their differing values toward the respective images they project, highlighting their role as foils to one another. Natalie uncomprehendingly notes that Dawn’s lack of physical allure seems to be a deliberate choice. The remark highlights that, unlike Natalie, Dawn recognizes The Deceptive Nature of Appearances.

“I almost laugh at how ridiculous the question is, but of course, he doesn’t know Dawn. I can’t envision her having a boyfriend. I can’t envisage her even kissing a man.”

When Detective Santoro asks if Dawn had a boyfriend, Natalie’s response is amusement. The irony of Natalie’s assumption that her coworker is celibate is later underlined when Caleb is revealed to be Dawn’s lover. The incident illustrates how Dawn exploits other people’s perceptions of her.

“I don’t know how you convince somebody they need a capsule filled with vitamins to make their eyes healthier, especially when there is absolutely no data whatsoever to prove any of the products work better than a placebo.”

Dawn expresses incredulity at her coworkers’ ability to sell products that have no scientific basis for their claims. Her comment underscores the dubious ethics of Vixed and the employees who promote the company’s products.

“A lot of the time, I have trouble reading facial expressions. Other people seem to know when another person is angry or sad or happy just based on their face. I have no idea how they do that. If somebody is smiling, I assume they’re happy, but beyond that, I am at a loss.”

Here, Dawn describes her difficulties in interpreting nonverbal communication. Throughout the novel, McFadden highlights how the ability to interact in a prescribed manner is a key element of workplace culture. Dawn’s inability to judge social cues unfairly leads to her ostracization by coworkers, underlining the theme of The Intricacies of Office Politics.

“I’m not used to people hating me.”

Dawn’s disappearance leads to a dramatic shift in the trajectory of Natalie’s character. Accustomed to popularity, she experiences social disapproval and exclusion for the first time. As the narrative progresses, she discovers how life must be from Dawn’s perspective.

“It wasn’t right of me to ask him to lie to the police. That’s not the kind of thing you ask your boyfriend of less than two months to do for you. That’s more of a six-month relationship request.”

Here, Natalie expresses regret over asking Caleb to provide a false alibi, for she fears that doing so may have compromised their relationship. In this passage, McFadden humorously illustrates Natalie’s lack of moral principles in her thought processes. While she sees nothing wrong in asking Caleb to lie to the police, she reflects that it was a little early in their romance to make such a request, and the disparity between her lack of concern for breaking the law and her deep worry over unbalancing a potential relationship brings her own superficialities to light in a moment that is designed to exude absurdity.

“One of the scariest animals in the world is the soft-shelled turtle. They don’t look that scary. They don’t even have the traditional turtle shell. They look a bit like a pancake with a head and legs sticking out. But don’t be fooled—they can be deadly. They hide in the sand, not moving an inch, waiting patiently for their prey. Ready to strike with their razor-sharp beak.”

McFadden turns the novel’s turtle symbolism on its head as Dawn figuratively compares herself to the predatory soft-shelled turtle. No longer representing herself in terms of helplessness, she now emerges as a cunning and dangerous adversary. The shift in the symbolic portrayal of turtles underlines the theme of The Fine Line Between Victim and Perpetrator.

“I miss my house. I miss my bed with the white sheets, white pillowcase and white blanket. But again, it’s worth it. It’s worth anything.”

Hiding out in a motel room, Dawn describes her longing for the comforts and sensory regularities of her home. Dawn’s willingness to tolerate living conditions that cause her agitation and discomfort illustrates her determination to make Natalie suffer at any cost. McFadden demonstrates the high price of revenge in Dawn’s unconvincing claim that it is worth “anything.”

“He’s not like me. He’s normal. Well, as normal as any guy plotting to frame his girlfriend for murder can be.”

Dawn’s assessment of her boyfriend Caleb highlights the relativity of “normalcy.” Unlike Dawn, Caleb has no noticeable quirks and can easily assimilate into social situations. However, beneath his ordinary veneer, he harbors a dark agenda. The observation underlines the author’s exploration of The Deceptive Nature of Appearances.

“Natalie was the queen of our high school.”

Throughout the novel, the author examines the dynamics of social hierarchies. Her characters illustrate how social roles determined at school often persist into adulthood and the workplace. While Dawn continues to be ostracized by her peers, Natalie evolves from “the queen” of high school to the most popular employee at Vixed. McFadden highlights how these roles are often based on discrimination rather than merit.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this. We got exactly what we wanted. And a large part of it is because Caleb went out with Natalie. But I can’t help the way I’m feeling.”

Despite the success of her plan to frame Natalie, Dawn’s pleasure is short-lived. The Deceptive Nature of Appearances is emphasized as Dawn becomes convinced that Caleb must have been attracted to Natalie when he pretended to date her. Focusing on Natalie’s looks and popularity, Dawn cannot bring herself to trust that Caleb actually does prefer her to Natalie. Her lack of self-esteem reflects the damaging impact of society’s intolerance of difference.

“The image she puts forth is extremely likable.”

Here, Dawn describes the ease with which Natalie achieves social popularity. Dawn’s characteristically formal tone captures the fact that her coworker’s charm is an artificial construct “put forth” to impress others, rather than being an innate attribute of the character herself.

“I don’t know why we were so mean to Amelia, in retrospect. I guess because she was different. And because we could. When you’re seventeen and pretty and popular, it makes you feel good to pick on somebody weaker than you are. It makes you feel powerful.”

Here, Natalie undergoes something of an epiphany. Expressing remorse at the role her bullying played in Amelia’s death by suicide, she reflects on how she abused her social status at high school. This passage therefore creates the false impression that Natalie has somehow been humbled by her experience of wrongful imprisonment.

“But the fact is, Jared never made fun of her again. Actually, he never made fun of anyone ever again.”

In one of the novel’s plot twists, Dawn reveals the fate of her schoolmate, Jared Kelahan. Having previously explained that she pushed Jared off the monkey bars when he tormented Mia years ago, Dawn implies that she was also responsible for his death. The revelation reveals Dawn’s true nature as a dangerous character who is capable of committing serial murders.

“Seventeen is old enough to know better.”

Dawn disagrees with Natalie over her culpability in Mia’s death. Natalie argues that, as a high school student, she could not have foreseen the consequences of bullying Mia. However, Dawn asserts that, at age 17, individuals are morally responsible for their actions. However, the author pointedly refrains from declaring which viewpoint is correct.

“Amelia owes me after all the trouble she got me into after her suicide. So many people blamed me for that and I had to resign as class president—one teacher even threatened to fail me! It wasn’t my fault she took her own life—she was weak. My God, it was just a stupid joke.”

In the novel’s epilogue, Natalie undercuts her previous expression of remorse at Mia’s death. Her true attitude is revealed in her evasion of responsibility and resentment at the disruption that Mia’s death by suicide caused to her own life. The monologue illustrates Natalie’s lack of compassion, demonstrating that she has learned nothing from her experiences.