60 pages • 2 hours read
Stacey AbramsWhile Justice Sleeps
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A 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 1-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
In Chapter 1, the omniscient third-person narrator shifts the focus to Avery Keene, the 26-year-old law clerk working under Justice Wynn. Avery is not yet aware of Justice Wynn’s brain-dead state or the fact that he has appointed her his legal guardian. She is at home when she gets a call from her mother. Rita, who has alcoholism and a substance use disorder, is calling Avery in the middle of the night because she needs money to “settle up” (16). Avery assumes that Rita owes someone money for drugs. Avery asks Rita to tell her where she is and leaves to go help her.
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 2 focuses on Dr. Indira Srinivasan, the head of Advar Biogenetics, Ltd., in Bangalore, India. Indira’s significance in the narrative is revealed via an implicit tie to Justice Wynn:
The US Supreme Court continued to fritter away time as her destiny hung in the balance. Her company’s acquisition of GenWorks, a closely held biotech company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, now relied entirely on the whims of nine men and women who knew little about genomics, epistasis, or bioinformatics (20).
Indira blames the “vindictive American president facing a tough reelection” for her situation: “He’d called the denial of their merger an act of national security, but she knew his actions for what they were. Revenge and self-preservation” (20). Indira’s own sense of self-preservation emerges too; she has degenerative arthritis, and her potential cure rides on this merger.
Indira gets a call from Nigel Cooper, founder and president of GenWorks. He tells her about Justice Wynn: “The swing vote on the Supreme Court went batshit crazy and then fell into a coma. Assuming he was our ace in the hole, we are now potential fucked” (22). Nigel and Indira both want the merger to happen. Nigel suggests, “Maybe we go to President Stokes. Threaten to expose him if he doesn’t change his mind” (23). Though it is unclear what Nigel is referring to, the reader will later learn that he is talking about the US president’s knowledge of Hygeia’s unethical research into creating the genetic virus to kill Muslim people. The project was called “Tigris.” Indira tells Nigel that exposing President Stokes is too great a risk for her: “They would say I am as culpable” (23).
Chapter 3 Summary
The narrative shifts to Jamie. Guilty of spying on Justice Wynn and afraid of her secret employers, Jamie is preparing to leave DC and go to New Mexico. Her preparations are interrupted by a man sent by her secret employers. The employers aren’t happy with Jamie, who broke protocol by calling an ambulance after finding Justice Wynn unconscious despite her instructions not to prolong his life. The man asks Jamie if she’s told anyone about her “secret employer,” and she says no. However, she confesses that she left a message on Avery’s phone, delivering Justice Wynn’s final message. Jamie’s secret employers now see her as a liability. The mystery man kills Jamie. He then calls his aide and tells them: “We have a new project,” referring to Avery, who is now a “loose thread” (28).
Chapter 4 Summary
Avery comes into work tired after looking for Rita all night. She is called into the office of Chief Justice Teresa Roseborough. The chief justice is in her office with Major William Vance, the president’s liaison from the Department of Homeland Security. The chief justice tells Avery that Justice Wynn is in a coma, describing the incident as attempted death by suicide—presumably because Justice Wynn had a degenerative brain disease, Boursin’s syndrome. The chief justice and Major Vance reveal that Justice Wynn designated Avery as his power of attorney, meaning she can make his medical decisions while he’s in a coma—for example, the decision of whether to keep him on life support. Avery is shocked.
Chapter 5 Summary
The conversation between Avery, the chief justice, and Major Vance continues. It’s revealed that Justice Wynn has an estranged son, Jared, and a wife whom he’s separated from (and was preparing to divorce), Celeste Turner-Wynn. Given that Justice Wynn has family, it’s strange that he would leave his power of attorney to a law clerk. Major Vance, trying to determine why Justice Wynn chose Avery as his power of attorney, insinuates that she had a sexual relationship with Justice Wynn—which Avery (truthfully) denies.
Chapter 6 Summary
In Bangalore, Indira is in a board meeting. She has told them about Justice Wynn’s coma. They are worried because they had been hoping that Justice Wynn would rule in their favor in the Supreme Court lawsuit—the one that will determine if the merger can go ahead despite the US president previously barring it. The significance of the merger is explained:
GenWorks is the only partner that has the patents and technology able to effectively market what we have developed in-house or acquired from Tigris. Moreover, it is precisely Nigel Cooper’s relationship with President Stokes that allows us leverage (48).
The board also speaks of the need for “resolving the unfinished business of Tigris” (49). The chapter ends before the discussion of Tigris and the mysterious “unfinished business” takes place, concluding with Indira saying, “There will be no recording of these minutes” (48).
Chapter 7 Summary
The narrative shifts back to Avery’s office in DC, where she is wondering why Justice Wynn appointed her his power of attorney. The legal paperwork naming her was drafted on January 28 (it’s now June). Avery remembers that shortly before January 28, she ran into Justice Wynn outside of the office. Avery was with Rita, who was drunk and/or high; Avery was embarrassed. Days later, Justice Wynn called Avery into his office. She recalls the conversation they had. He asked her seemingly random questions like “Do you play chess?” and “Do you believe liars are all alike?” (55). To the latter question, Avery replied, “Some lie for gain, others for protection. The lie matters” (55). Justice Wynn also asked if Avery was loyal to him, to which she replied, “I’m loyal to this Court […] I swore to uphold the law and support the Constitution” (58).
Chapter 8 Summary
US President Stokes meets with Major Vance, who debriefs him about Justice Wynn and Avery. It’s revealed that they had been surveilling Justice Wynn before his coma. President Stokes and Major Vance want to determine how Justice Wynn knew about the Tigris Project, which the narrative has not yet explained. Major Vance and President Stokes have known each other since their military days. Together, while Stokes was still vice president, they “created a brilliant plan that would dwarf the Manhattan Project” (65). However, then-President Cadres “stumbled onto their work, a discovery solved by a precipitate heart attack that vaulted Vice President Brandon Stokes into the presidency” (65). President Stokes tells Major Vance that he wants a vacant seat on the Supreme Court by recess, implying that Justice Wynn should be killed. The president can then appoint a Supreme Court justice, picking someone who will rule in his favor and block the merger, thereby protecting him.
Chapter 9 Summary
Avery searches Justice Wynn’s office for clues and comes across a “GenWorks” folder. Avery is familiar with the case regarding the potential GenWorks-Advar merger; as one of Justice Wynn’s law clerks, she had to research it. However, the GenWorks folder is empty. Avery realizes that the justice was hiding something. Looking through Justice Wynn’s emails, Avery finds a folder labeled “Chessdynamo,” the name of an online chess game Justice Wynn once mentioned to her. She finds emails with cryptic subject lines like “Ani Is in the River” and “Dumas Find Ani” (71). Avery notes these potential clues, then deletes the folder from the computer so nobody else can find it. Her work is interrupted by a call from Justice Wynn’s doctor at Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Chapter 10 Summary
Avery arrives at Bethesda Naval Hospital, where Justice Wynn is being treated in a high-security wing. Justice Wynn’s soon-to-be-ex-wife, Celeste, is there, as is his estranged son, Jared. Avery informs them that Justice Wynn has designated her as his power of attorney. They are shocked by the news. Celeste wants to challenge the power of attorney, suggesting that Justice Wynn had age-related cognitive decline or that Avery seduced him. After Celeste storms out, Jared slips a secret note into Avery’s hand.
Chapters 1-10 Analysis
The opening chapters introduce the book’s protagonist via an intimate look at her personal hardships. Avery’s mother, on top of dealing with a dependency on drugs and alcohol, is emotionally abusive while also relying on Avery to bail her out of tough situations. By opening the narrative with a peek at Avery’s personal life—showing her as a dutiful daughter—the book establishes Avery’s ethics and loyalty. The Value of True Loyalty will continue to be a central theme throughout the book. Other characters, like Major Vance, will represent the counterpoint to Avery’s loyalty (Major Vance ultimately betrays his allegiance to President Stokes, while Avery remains loyal to Justice Wynn and her mother until the end). Avery’s loyalty is directly explicated by Justice Wynn; reflecting on a previous conversation she had with the judge, Avery recalls Justice Wynn asking her, “Are you loyal to me?” and her reply: “I’m loyal to this Court […] I swore to uphold the law and support the Constitution” (58).
The book rapidly introduces the key players in the narrative without connecting the dots for the reader, thereby setting up the mysteries to be solved as the thriller progresses. Chapter 2 introduces Indira, Nigel, and the GenWorks-Advar merger—which serves as a driving point for the plot. The dialogue between Indira and Nigel implicates President Stokes: “Maybe we go to President Stokes. Threaten to expose him if he doesn’t change his mind” (23). The reader knows that the president has done something bad but doesn’t know what. Through Avery’s sleuthing, the reader will eventually learn exactly what Indira and Nigel are referring to: Hygeia’s Tigris Project. However, for now, the book is simply setting up the question to be answered—what did President Stokes know/do?—creating narrative tension and suspense.
This tension is further teased with the depiction of the Advar board meeting, which highlights the significance of the GenWorks-Advar merger while simultaneously creating greater mystery around it, noting that “GenWorks is the only partner that has the patents and technology able to effectively market what [they] have developed in-house or acquired from Tigris” (48). There is also mention of “resolving the unfinished business of Tigris” (49). Again, at this point, the reader has no clue what Tigris refers to; however, the multiple mentions of it this early in the book make it clear that it will be significant to the narrative. The mystery surrounding the “unfinished business” is further heightened by the fact that the board meeting is cut short with Indira saying, “There will be no recording of these minutes” (48). Whatever Tigris refers to, it’s so bad that the board doesn’t want any record of a discussion about it. The horrible nature of Tigris is also hinted at in Chapter 8, when it’s revealed that Major Vance and President Stokes “created a brilliant plan that would dwarf the Manhattan Project” (65). This historical reference is chilling: The Manhattan Project resulted in the development of the first nuclear weapons.
The big questions surrounding Tigris and President Stokes’s involvement will tie into the other major question the narrative seeks to answer: why Justice Wynn chose Avery as his power of attorney. The questions that the unexpected designation raises hint at the themes of corruption that the book explores. Because Avery had no apparent special relationship with Justice Wynn, people assume that she either scammed him or was sleeping with him. This immediate assumption of the worst exposes the corrupt atmosphere in Washington, DC. The idea that Justice Wynn would pick Avery because he believed in her strong moral convictions and loyalty is, in this context, unthinkable.
The theme of corruption is linked to President Stokes, who has apparently done something that could be exposed (as discussed between Nigel and Indira). Already, the book is pointing the finger at “bad guys” and “good guys,” and the bad guys are eager to make sure the finger is never pointed at them. For example, when Nigel suggests to Indira that they expose the president, she refuses, telling him, “They would say I am as culpable” (23). The book will continue to explore this kind of self-serving and selfish behavior, portraying multiple instances in which characters put their own needs above the greater good or what is morally right.
In addition to setting up the mysteries to be explored in the book (What is Tigris? What did Indira do? What did President Stokes do? Why did Justice Wynn pick Avery for his power of attorney?), these early chapters also set a tone of foreboding. This is primarily achieved through the character of Jamie. Jamie is killed in the third chapter and serves as little more than a plot device. However, her death proves the dangers Avery will face as she gets involved in the mystery. This creates a sinister sense of dread as Jamie’s killer goes on to define Avery as a “new project” and a “loose end,” suggesting Avery may be in danger (28).
Jamie’s service to the people who were surveying Justice Wynn—the same people who kill her—speaks to one of the book’s main arguments about power: People “at the top” hold the power and control, which they are able to keep thanks to the actions of people “at the bottom.” Jamie is one cog in the machine of power that keeps people like President Stokes on top. She is disposable. This is an argument that will subsequently manifest in other characters, like the yet-to-be-introduced Dr. Elizabeth Papaleo (“Betty”).
These opening chapters also introduce a symbol that will run throughout the narrative—chess. Chess is a strategic game, representing the political strategies and power moves that many characters throughout the book exercise. The mystery that Avery must solve is itself set up as a chess game, as highlighted by Justice Wynn’s reference to Lasker-Bauer. In this famous chess game, the player Lasker sacrificed two key pieces, the bishops, on the board, which ultimately allowed him to win. Chess imagery and references are already seen in the Prologue. Avery then finds more chess references when she opens Justice Wynn’s email folder labeled “Chessdynamo.” Chess references and chess-related clues will continue to appear throughout the narrative, helping to elucidate the theme of game-playing, particularly political games and power games.
