45 pages • 1 hour read
William RitterJackaby
William RitterFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 9-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary
Abigail arrives back at Jackaby’s home and explores the house. She finds a handwritten note from the previous assistant. She explores the library, office, and laboratory, where she disturbs a suspended alligator skeleton. Upstairs, Abigail discovers several bedrooms and feels she is being watched. She tries to escape and falls down the stairs. As she reorients herself, she considers her belief in ghosts and magic. Jackaby arrives home.
Chapter 10 Summary
Jackaby has discovered that Bragg had been interviewing Swift and the mayor and looking into another mystery. Jackaby took a map from Bragg’s apartment with several red Xs, each with a written date. Abigail and Jackaby brainstorm what it might mean. Jackaby notices that although the Xs all circle New Fiddleham, all are outside the district. He has an idea and says he needs to leave again. Abigail asks if others are living in the house, and Jackaby is vague on the matter. She elects to leave with him rather than stay in the house alone.
Chapter 11 Summary
Abigail and Jackaby discuss the case, in particular, the missing blood. Jackaby also mentions deep footprints in the floors near Bragg’s room. He gives Abigail a brief rundown on potential supernatural threats. They stop as Jackaby sends a telegram. While Abigail waits, she’s approached by a woman who warns her off of Jackaby. Abigail rebuffs her. When Jackaby returns, Abigail tells him she needs a detective’s notebook. She asks more about his line of work, and Jackaby tells her he’s the world’s only Seer. Years ago, he went looking for answers about his gift and was informed that he is alone. Abigail wonders if she could be taught to see in the same way. He tells her that a woman without a home, Hatun, has some second sight, though not quite like him. Hatun tries to protect the city, though many of the threats are imaginary. Jackaby feels her bravery is commendable regardless of whether or not the danger is real.
Chapter 12 Summary
Jackaby and Abigail meet Hatun, who is fishing in a river. Jackaby introduces them. Hatun tells them she saw the killer as he left the building. She hasn’t told anyone and hasn’t been seen because her special shawl keeps her out of sight of anyone with a home. When questioned, Abigail admits that she doesn’t have a place to live yet. Hatun recounts how she passed by the building and saw a frightening creature climbing out the window, but when she accidentally knocked over a pile of wood, he went back inside. The creature was inhuman but dressed in a suit and wearing metal shoes. As Jackaby and Abigail return home, Jackaby tells her that a monster wearing a suit is the most dangerous of all.
Chapter 13 Summary
Rather than a full chapter, there is only a note from Abigail saying that the chapter omission was at the request of her employer.
Chapter 14 Summary
Jackaby and Abigail begin research in Jackaby’s library. Abigail is perplexed by Jackaby’s method of sorting. They drink tea together, and Jackaby begins reading while Abigail examines the room. Suddenly, a ghost enters and startles Abigail into spilling her tea. Jackaby introduces Abigail to Jenny Cavanaugh. Jenny complains that Abigail earlier came into her room unannounced. She and Jackaby argue about the state of the house. Once acclimatized to her presence, Abigail apologizes for the intrusion, and the two women become friends. Jenny invites her to come meet Douglas.
Chapter 15 summary
Jenny and Abigail go upstairs, where Abigail is surprised to find a pond inside the house. As they sit and enjoy the scenery, Jenny asks if Abigail is attracted to Jackaby. She seems relieved when Abigail says no. When probed further, Abigail thinks of Charlie; Jenny tells her not to waste time. Abigail tells Jenny how she came to New Fiddleham and met Jackaby. She begins feeding bread to a duck in the pond. Jenny then tells Abigail how she and Jackaby met: He was sent to her house to exorcise her, but instead, they had an open and honest conversation. Jackaby refused to exorcise her because she wasn’t a threat, so he was given the house.
Jenny announces that Abigail should stay with them in the guest room since Douglas is given room and board. When Abigail questions where Douglas is, she realizes he is the duck. Jenny tells her that Douglas was caught in a spell during an investigation and transformed. Jackaby arrives and explains that he found a way to turn Douglas back into a man, but Douglas is trapped as a duck because he doesn’t truly want to change back. Jenny explains that in doing so, he would be giving up a part of himself. Jackaby disagrees. He announces that he’s found a new lead in their case.
Chapters 9-15 Analysis
This section begins as a period of rest after the violent events of the preceding chapters, where Abigail and Jackaby regroup, and the novel’s pacing relaxes somewhat. The plot takes a brief backseat to narrative exposition as Jackaby recounts how his gift works and where it came from. Abigail is introduced to Hatun, a character who, like Jackaby, stands between humans and other entities because of their supernatural gifts. While Jackaby is comfortable and able to function within society—even those he is not fully accepted—Hatun lives on the fringes of society, and her gift manifests as a fractured disassociation rather than Jackaby’s easier balance between two interconnected worlds. Along with Charlie, Hatun represents a conflicted self who skirts the edge of what society deems acceptable. They also share the need to look out for others, as Charlie exhibits through his work with the police and Hatun demonstrates in her attempts to save the world from unseen, often imagined dangers. While Charlie has immersed himself in New Fiddleham’s human community, Hatun isolates herself from the social constructions of the human world. Ironically, her way appears to be healthier since the effort of remaining in control eventually snaps Charlie in two. These characters—and how they function within and outside society—add new layers to the theme of Social Dynamics.
In this section, Jenny is properly introduced into the narrative, and she becomes a welcome respite for Abigail in her male-dominated life. As many of the story’s characters, names, and places are inspired by myth and folklore, Jenny’s name may be an allusion to the mythic Jenny Greenteeth, sometimes called Wicked Jenny, a malevolent figure known for haunting ponds. Her heart-to-heart with Abigail by the pond supports this idea. Although, since Jenny is entirely a positive force in both protagonists’ lives, it is a subversive cultural allusion rather than an instance of narrative foreshadowing. Since Abigail’s womanhood has often been an obstacle to overcome, her friendship with Jenny allows her to look at femininity from a new perspective. Douglas is introduced as a silent comic relief character who functions mainly as a foil for clever turns of phrase. However, his presence in the novel also opens a discussion about the true nature of the self, foregrounding the theme, The Nature of Humanity. Like Charlie and Hatun, and in some ways every one of the characters, Douglas is caught between two opposing worlds or states of being, and his presence leads to a discussion of whether being human requires a human form.
This section explores characters and deepens themes, allowing the plot room to breathe before resuming its intensity and forward momentum in the next section. Ritter also utilizes the clever literary device of removing the thirteenth chapter from the narrative—either due to the superstitious nature of the number or some personal confession that took place; it is left for the reader to imagine.
Unlock all 45 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: