A Flicker in the Dark

A charismatic and caring partner, Daniel Briggs demonstrates a deep devotion to Chloe and their future. Like Chloe, Daniel escapes from his past and hides the truth of his trauma from his fiancé. Daniel does not reveal the whole truth of his childhood and his part in helping his sister Sophie escape their abusive household. Despite his deep love and care for both Chloe and Sophie, he compartmentalizes his relationships with these two central figures in his life. Unsure of Chloe’s devotion to him, Daniel attempts to build a deeper, intimate connection. Although the couple does not find this connection within the novel, Daniel serves an important role in aiding Chloe on her journey to discover the truth and heal from the past.

A foil character to Chloe’s brother Cooper, Daniel exhibits the same protective nature as Cooper. However, unlike Cooper, Daniel encourages Chloe to confront her anxieties and challenge herself. Chloe comments on Daniel’s ability to remind her of the happy memories of her childhood and to “coax them out of their hiding place, out of the hidden recesses of my mind, out of the secret room I had banished them to the moment I saw my father’s face on the television screen” (237). While Cooper represents Chloe’s past, Daniel represents Chloe’s future by reminding her of the hope and love that exists.

Despite his good intentions, Daniel’s inability to confide in Chloe ultimately divides them. He hides his suspicions of Cooper as the serial killer terrorizing Baton Rouge and passively attempts to gather evidence to prove his suspicions. While Daniel waits to prove Cooper’s involvement, Chloe moves into action. With Daniel’s help, Chloe solidifies her plan to coax a confession out of Cooper. However, Chloe executes the plan independently and resists reuniting with Daniel at the end of the novel.

Chloe’s protective older brother, Cooper Davis has always exuded a confidence and charm that draws people to him. As an adolescent, he attracted the esteem of others easily and often invited Chloe along with him. As an adult, Cooper displays a wise demeanor symbolized by his prematurely gray hair. Chloe describes Cooper as “mature, sleek, thoughtful, quiet,” the opposite of Chloe’s emotional, anxious disposition (33). A constant reminder of their traumatic childhood, Cooper triggers Chloe. Her desire to escape reminders of her past inhibits their relationship. Chloe’s relationship with her fiancé Daniel threatens Cooper’s position in her life and leads him to seek out ways to disrupt their relationship.

As Chloe chooses Daniel over her brother, Cooper struggles to maintain control over Chloe’s life. He undermines Chloe’s feelings and questions the validity of her experiences by accusing her of substance use. By the end of the novel, Chloe learns of her brother’s desire to use Chloe as a pawn in hiding his murders. Devoid of empathy, Cooper represents the true villain of the novel. His actions lead to their father’s unjust incarceration of his father, their mother’s mental health crisis, and Chloe’s questioning of her reality.

An independent and strong-willed young woman, Lena Rhodes lived a bold life. Murdered at the age of 15, Lena radiates a confidence that inspires Chloe as a young girl. As one of the first girls Cooper murdered, Lena propels Breaux Bridge into a frenzy when she disappears. Twenty years later, her death continues to unnerve Chloe as she attempts to escape the horror of Lena’s untimely death. For Chloe, Lena represents strength and hope. The firefly belly ring she wears alerts Chloe to her father’s involvement in Lena’s murder and symbolizes light in the darkness. As Chloe embarks on her journey to discover the truth and heal, she channels Lena’s “confidence, her radiance, her spirit” by shining a light into the dark shadows of her past and uncovering the truth (76). The symbol of fireflies follows Chloe throughout the novel and represents Lena’s significant impact on Chloe’s life. In the final chapter, Chloe honors Lena’s memory by catching a firefly and releasing it as a symbol of Lena’s inspiring independence and unparalleled strength.

Introduced as Aaron Jansen, Tyler Price serves as Cooper’s accomplice throughout the novel. He poses as Aaron Jansen, a New York Times reporter who builds trust with Chloe that allows her to confide in him her deepest fears. Obsessed with murder as a youth, Tyler implements Cooper’s plans of murder and psychologically manipulates Chloe. Despite his horrible acts, Chloe expresses empathy for Tyler whom she imagines “trailing my brother around” as a lonely teenager (333). Throughout the novel, Tyler serves as a shield for Cooper that develops the plot without sparking Chloe’s suspicion in her own brother. Without Tyler’s involvement, the suspense of the novel would not build toward the plot twist that shocks Chloe.

Chloe and Cooper’s mother, Mona Davis, serves as a representation of the past that haunts Chloe into adulthood. In the aftermath of her husband’s arrest and conviction, Mona struggles to absolve herself of guilt over her numerous extramarital affairs and buckles under the pressure of protecting her dangerous son Cooper. Blamed for her husband’s actions, Mona demonstrates society’s history of blaming women for the faults of men. As a result of this pressure, Mona experiences depression that leads to her attempted suicide. Her suicide attempt leaves her unable to speak or move. Unable to cope with the reminders of their past, Chloe and Cooper abandon their mother in a facility until Chloe seeks out her mother’s guidance as an adult. Desperate to save young women from her son’s depravity, Mona displays a resilience that drives her to communicate with Chloe by tapping her fingers. Her brave actions help Chloe in her journey to discover the truth and lead to the freedom of her unjustly incarcerated husband.

Daniel’s younger sister, Sophie Briggs, escapes from her parents’ abusive household at the age of 13 with the help of her older brother. Sophie represents an alternative reality for Chloe. Unlike Lena, Chloe, and the other murdered girls, Sophie escaped before being destroyed by the violent actions of her father and his alcohol addiction. As an adult, Sophie serves as a foil to Chloe who struggles to maintain intimate relationships and live authentically. Chloe chooses to visit Sophie at the end of the novel to return her ring and to confront the reality of what could have been. While Sophie and Daniel continue their close relationship at the end of the novel, Chloe remains estranged from her brother Cooper, who has been arrested for the murders that terrorized Breaux Bridge and Baton Rouge. Sophie’s home serves as the setting for Chloe’s final moments in the novel as she catches and releases a firefly in a symbolic gesture of redemption and healing.