The Grandest Game

“As the glass walls of the shower steamed up around him, Rohan brought the tip of his blade to the glass. […] Lightly, he skimmed the knife through the steam, drawing six symbols in the moisture on the surface of the glass.”

The disturbing imagery of Rohan using a knife to sketch out chess pieces representing his fellow contestants helps characterize him. In a situation that might ordinarily seem vulnerable—being naked in the shower—Rohan still has a knife with him. While others might focus on the pleasant sensations of showering, Rohan is scheming and planning. His drawing demonstrates that he sees other human beings as objects to use and sees himself as the only one really playing the game. This makes it clear that the other players should be cautious about trusting him, thematically supporting The Risks and Rewards of Trust.

“Lyra knew better than most: Tragedy couldn’t just be wiped away. Loss left marks. The deeper the scar, the longer it lasted.”

The aphorisms “[l]oss left marks” and “[t]he deeper the scar, the longer it lasted” express truths that Lyra feels deeply because of her trauma over her father’s death by suicide. More generally, it sums up something that’s true for many characters in The Grandest Game, most of whom harbor secrets related to past traumas.

“Grayson looked at her like he was standing above a pool of dark water looking for something beneath the surface, like she was a mystery—and his to solve.”

This quote uses a metaphor to compare Lyra to dark water and a mystery, emphasizing that she’s hiding secrets. This supports the text’s larger interests in secrets and trust. The phrase “his to solve” implies a special connection between Grayson and Lyra, foreshadowing their eventual romantic entanglement.

“Gigi’s hair was a little too excited about being on a boat.”

The anthropomorphism that being on the speedboat “excite[s]” Gigi’s hair comedically describes its unruly state as the wind tosses it about. This description helps characterize Gigi herself, who is enthusiastic and often uses humor.

“That was how Hawthorne games worked. Everything mattered.”

The abrupt and definitive tone of “[e]verything mattered” emphasizes Gigi’s thoughts about the items she finds. Ironically, she later learns that the Hawthornes didn’t plant the scuba gear, knife, and necklace and that the 13 scratches on the sheath aren’t a clue at all. Instead, these items are significant in the larger puzzle of what’s really happening on Hawthorne Island—and thus “[e]verything mattered” is a metafictional statement about Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s construction of that mystery.

“Our games have heart […] It ain’t gonna be you, kid.”

Nash’s prediction that Rohan won’t win the Grandest Game characterizes both the Hawthornes and Rohan and foreshadows gradual revelations about how the Game’s construction manipulates the players. The Hawthornes’ games are about more than puzzle-solving: Just like the players, the hosts have their own agendas. With the confidence of a Hawthorne, Nash predicts that someone as cold as Rohan doesn’t have what it takes to rise to the emotional challenges a Hawthorne game presents. This prediction helps support the text’s thematic claims about Balancing Morality and Ambition.

“Savannah straightened, standing taller than her nearly six feet. ‘I do not do anything badly, and I am not in the habit of wanting things. I set goals. I achieve them.’ End of story.

Rohan took a handkerchief out of the pocket of his tuxedo, wiped the blood off his knuckles, and captured her gaze with his own. ‘Fair warning, love: I want it more.’”

This exchange between Savannah and Rohan sets them up in direct opposition to one another and underscores how determined they both are. The hyperbole of Savannah “standing taller” than her actual height mimics the verbal “posturing” of her claims. The short parallel sentences at the end of her dialogue create emphasis, and the narrator’s italicized comment, “[e]nd of story,” underscores the confidence of her declaration. Rohan’s using a handkerchief he pulls from his tuxedo to wipe his bloody knuckles is an image that captures the contradictions of his character: He presents himself as sophisticated and suave, but underneath this exterior he’s a shadowy and dangerous figure.

“He owed this to her. For whatever role his grandfather had played in her father’s suicide; for giving her hope and taking it away; for talking to her and then not talking to her; for that dance and the way she could still feel his hand on her back—Grayson Hawthorne owed her.”

This passage uses parallel structure, anaphora, and antithesis as Lyra thinks about her grievances against Grayson, creating the back-and-forth rhythm of a dance. This mimics her final grievance: the dance that Grayson cut into and its lingering impact on her. In addition, it evokes a common romance trope: the lovers who are simultaneously attracted to and repelled by one another, in a push-and-pull dynamic that creates tension between them and suspense about how—and when—they’ll eventually come together.

“I’m sensing some tension here. […] Luckily […] I am an expert mediator and a pleasure to have in class.”

Gigi’s use of a cliché common in school reports—“a pleasure to have in class”—creates a facetious tone that skillfully introduces humor into the tense situation between Brady and Knox. Her playful boast is deliberately silly and intended to poke gentle fun at herself rather than others—a tactful move characteristic of Gigi.

“There was something in the overly formal, self-important way that Grayson said Ms. Kane that made Lyra briefly entertain the idea of throwing something at him.”

The unexpected juxtaposition of Lyra’s thoughts of impetuous violence at the end of the sentence with the gravitas of Grayson’s mannerisms at the beginning of the sentence creates a humorous example of paraprosdokian that characterizes both Lyra and Grayson and highlights the romantic tension between them. Grayson’s presence is a continual source of distraction for Lyra; she’s as focused on him as she is on solving the game’s puzzles. This helps convey the novel’s thematic ideas about The Relationship Between Motivation and Individuality.

“In life, everyone was a piece to be moved around the board. Rohan was a player […] the only true opponent was the game itself.”

Rohan’s metaphorical comparison of all other people to inanimate objects that he can move around as he pleases characterizes him as Machiavellian. His immoral belief that others’ goals mean little when compared to the importance of his own contributes significantly to developing the theme of Balancing Morality and Ambition.

“[S]omething about trusting Brady just felt right, no matter what Gigi’s mental-Savannah had to say about it.”

At this stage, Gigi has little reason not to trust Brady, in contrast to Knox; in fact, Brady has gone out of his way to demonstrate friendliness and concern for her. Ironically, Gigi later learns that she should have heeded her twin’s advice to be more cautious. This helps thematically develop The Risks and Rewards of Trust.

“I see you: Rohan the charmer, Rohan the player, Rohan the great manipulator who thinks he knows the first things about who I am and what I’m capable of.”

Savannah’s use of anaphora and parallel structure as she lists her epithets for Rohan creates a mocking tone that emphasizes her extreme scorn. This moment is significant, because up to this point the novel conveys little information about whether Rohan’s attempt at charm has affected Savannah: Her words here make it extremely clear that it hasn’t.

“Rohan sometimes thought of his mind as a labyrinth and himself as the creature who lived at the center.”

This allusion to the myth of the Minotaur is part of the text’s gradual revelation about Rohan’s more vulnerable side. He recognizes himself as a “monster” and sees how his mind traps him in this role. Significantly, though, the Minotaur is a monster created by others’ actions, trapped in the labyrinth by Minos, who is technically the Minotaur’s stepfather. The metaphorical comparison of Rohan to the Minotaur suggests that the circumstances of Rohan’s birth and early years doomed him to becoming a monster and that the Proprietor of the Devil’s Mercy—in many ways a father figure to Rohan—bears responsibility for shaping the mind that traps Rohan in his role as monster.

“‘My mama,’ Brady said, his voice hoarse. ‘Stage three. Ask me if there are treatments available, Knox. Then ask me if we have insurance.’”

This moment is a turning point in Gigi’s understanding of her own motivations in the game and in her understanding of Brady, Knox, and their relationship. She begins to feel that her own motives for playing are insignificant compared to Brady’s, and she later promises him that if she wins, she’ll use the money to make sure his mother receives treatment. She sees how much Knox cares about Brady’s mother and how devastated he is by Brady’s news. This humanizes Knox to her and helps her understand his relationship with Brady. Ironically, Brady later reveals that his mother is fine: Her cancer diagnosis is a manipulative lie that he’s using to gain an advantage in the game, and it has exactly the effect on Gigi and Knox that he intends.

“The flashback took hold of Lyra like a shark dragging down its prey. The memory pulled her under. There was no fighting the undertow, no way to resurface.”

The simile of Lyra’s memory being like a shark pulling her under emphasizes her helplessness and the psychological danger this memory presents to her. It’s an important moment for Lyra, because this time she has the most complete memory of her father’s death she has ever had and because it’s Grayson who later “rescues” her by pulling her back into the present, demonstrating understanding and a genuine concern for her that marks the significance of their nascent relationship.

“If you’re not careful, you’re going to get eaten alive in this game.”

The metaphorical language of Knox’s warning to Gigi casts her as helpless prey that the predators in the game—people like Brady and Knox—might find an easy target. Just as when Savannah warned Gigi about Brady, Gigi shrugs off Knox’s concern; she doesn’t feel helpless and is confident that her charm and goodwill are enough to ensure her survival. Both Knox’s and Gigi’s attitudes help convey part of the story’s thematic message about The Risks and Rewards of Trust.

“Her voice was oh-so-calm, but Rohan saw the fury buried behind Savannah’s silvery eyes when she said the word mistakes, like a fire burning inside a vault.”

The metaphorical comparison of Savannah’s face to a vault emphasizes how stoic she is, how little of herself she allows others access to. Rohan’s perceptiveness allows him to see past this to one of Savannah’s secrets: She’s furious about someone else’s mistakes, and this is part of her motivation for playing the game. This moment develops the text’s motif of secrets and helps thematically reinforce The Relationship Between Motivation and Individuality.

“He could want her to eternity and back, but he couldn’t let himself need a damn thing.”

The hyperbole of “to eternity and back” indicates how overwhelmed Rohan is with his desire for Savannah. He believes, however, that to keep himself safe and retain power in the world he moves in, he must exercise iron-clad self-control. This characterizes Rohan and creates empathy for him, reinforcing the idea that he’s trapped in a labyrinthine world that isn’t of his own making.

“Money. That was what Knox wanted her to believe this was about, but Gigi’s gut said that he’d told her because he wanted her to know that he wasn’t all bad.”

Three major themes come together as Knox and Gigi speak privately in the attic room of the main house. By this point, Gigi has become slightly better at not taking people at face value: Thematically illustrating The Relationship Between Motivation and Individuality, she’s skeptical about Knox’s portrayal of his motivation; the theme of Balancing Morality and Ambition is evident in her belief that, deep down, he needs her to know that his ambition hasn’t completely compromised his ethics. Her skepticism in this moment thematically helps develop The Risks and Rewards of Trust.

“What did her tragedy matter to him? What did she matter?

And yet.

And yet.

And yet.”

The use of epizeuxis and sentence fragments for effect emphasizes that Lyra can’t help repeatedly thinking of Grayson’s apology. Her rational mind is skeptical, but her heart wants to believe in his sincerity. Lyra’s dilemma contributes significantly to the novel’s thematic consideration of The Risks and Rewards of Trust.

“‘I am not looking for an obedient little piece to move around the board, Savvy.’

Not anymore.

‘I am looking […] for an alliance. A partner.’”

Rohan’s attitude toward Savannah has changed since the beginning of the story. He once saw her as a chess piece and himself as the player, but now he rejects this metaphor. His attraction to her and his respect for her abilities lead him to see her as a fellow player, perhaps even an equal.

“Savannah smiled, a tight-lipped, too-controlled smile that Rohan felt like fingernails down his back.

‘Avery Grambs killed my father.’”

This moment reveals Savannah’s true motivation for playing the Grandest Game and creates tension regarding Avery’s safety while foreshadowing events in the book’s sequel. In addition, the moment creates dramatic irony because readers now know something important that Gigi doesn’t know about her twin sister: Gigi has suffered for some time, trying to keep information from Savannah that Savannah already knows. The simile comparing Savannah’s smile to “fingernails down [Rohan’s] back” emphasizes the similarity between Savannah and Rohan: He feels a visceral excitement when he recognizes her absolute control over herself despite her fury.