The Last Mrs. Parrish

“She wasn’t going to let some society snob screw with her. She’d made sure that the last person who tried got what was coming to her.”

This quote foreshadows how far Amber is willing to go for wealth. The narrator implies that Amber has no qualms about harming others, building suspense as the reader speculates what Amber will do for money. The passage also implies that Amber has a history of similar behavior.

“Amber smiled. All she needed from Daphne was everything.”

Amber continues to reveal her desires, making it clear what she wants from Daphne. Her pursuit of “everything” heightens the tension as the reader questions what is included in this desire.

“She could maintain the rank of poor but sweet and unassuming little waif to these privileged snobs. And most importantly, no ghosts from the past would come sniffing around. She just needed to keep a low profile for now.”

The narrator reveals more of Amber’s past and also her preparations for her current endeavor. When referencing her “ghosts”, the narrator makes it clear that people are looking for Amber, and the use of the word “sniffing” makes it clear that Amber does not welcome these people. The narrator further highlights that Amber knows the part she must play to win the affection and trust of the people in Daphne’s inner circle. Her scheme is made clearer, showing that she plans on deceiving not just the Parrish family but everyone associated with them.

“Amber felt a brief stab of sympathy that quickly turned to envy. She had never felt that kind of love and affection for anyone in her family. She wondered what that would be like. She didn’t know what to say.”

For the first time, Amber feels a positive emotion towards Daphne, briefly experiencing internal conflict as she observes Daphne’s love for her sister. This moment is quickly disrupted by uncertainty and discomfort as she finds herself grappling with her past. The reader is meant to feel some sympathy for Amber’s clear discomfiture while simultaneously recognizing that she continues to covet Daphne’s life even knowing the hardship that the woman has experienced.

“Amber swallowed her anger at Tallulah’s sense of entitlement. No big deal, indeed. She’d like to ship her off to some rural location for a few years and let her see how the rest of America lived.”

Amber’s jealousy extends toward Daphne’s daughters as she grapples with the consequences of the lives they have led. The irony is that Amber thinks bitterly of the empathy she would like to force Tallulah into while she has no empathy toward a child who has no control over how she grows up.

“Tallulah gasped and looked at Jackson, as did Daphne. It felt like time had stopped as everyone waited to see his reaction.” 

This passage is one of the first times that Jackson’s nature is foreshadowed. All of those attending the dinner await his reaction to Bella’s rudeness, and Tallulah and Daphne do so in a way that implies he has abusive tendencies. While he does not reveal himself yet, the scene heightens the tension as the reader wonders what is being obscured.

“Amber suppressed a laugh. Daphne was so nice, she almost felt guilty. She had figured it would take some subtle hinting and footwork to nudge Daphne to suggest getting a job at Parrish International, but Daphne had bitten before she’d even tasted the bait. And poor, happily married Mark Jansen, whose reputation she had besmirched, had never made anything resembling an advance towards her. She would call Mark this afternoon and resign. The engine was humming. It was now just a matter of driving the car.”

Amber shows how far he is willing to go to get what she wants. She fakes sexual harassment to get a job with Jackson’s company, unconcerned with how these rumors may impact Mark Jansen’s life. Her disregard for the well-being of others in favor of her own advancement is proof of her villainous nature.

“Something flashed in the corner of her eye, making Amber turn to see a photographer. She turned her head quickly as the flashing continued, praying her image had not been caught on camera.”

Amber takes great pains to avoid being photographed at the fundraiser she helped Daphne arrange. While she has previously referenced needing to be cautious, this is one of the first times that the extent of her secrecy is evident.

“And didn’t Jackson deserve someone more hip and this-century helping him out? […] Between her eroding self-confidence and the mistakes she was soon to make, arousing Jackson’s suspicions, Amber would be sitting pretty in Battley’s office in no time.” 

Amber resorts to drugging Jackson’s assistant to remove the woman as an obstacle. This is the most illegal thing that she has done so far in pursuing Jackson, although she convinces herself that it is in Jackson’s best interests. This passage establishes her as an unreliable narrator, for she is willing to make logical and moral leaps to distance herself from her crimes.

“Suddenly the terrible emptiness inside Amber was a physical gnawing, as if the very life were being squeezed from her. This was no time to go soft. She would win this time.”

Amber elicits some sympathy when she reflects on her state of emptiness. By personifying her emotional state and describing it in such dramatic terms, the narrator gives insight as to why Amber is so determined to take over Daphne’s life. It provides an example of her resolution, showing stubbornness as one of her defining traits.

“She gripped the wheel and felt like she might finally, slowly, be taking control of the helm.”

Jackson teaches Amber how to steer a boat, a moment that becomes a metaphor for Amber’s plans. In “taking control of the helm,” Amber is referring to Jackson. As the man in control of the Parrish family, Jackson propels the family forward, and Amber believes that she is finally manipulating him to where she wants him to be.

“Of course Daphne had. She would pretty much do anything Amber wanted; Amber’d play the little-sister card, and Daphne would fold.”

The narrator highlights the importance of sisterhood for Daphne and the extent to which Amber has analyzed Daphne’s motivations. She uses Daphne to establish a deeper relationship with Jackson, exploiting his jealousy to make herself a more alluring woman.

“I didn’t used to be afraid of my husband. I had thought I loved him, back when he was kind—or pretended to be. Before I knew what a monster looks like up close.”

This is the first sentence of the second part of the book, which transitions to Daphne’s first-person perspective. This is also the first time that the reader is given confirmation that Jackson is much darker than he appears at the outset. Daphne establishes Jackson as a terrifying man, the first time that we see beyond the veneer of their “perfect” relationship.

“Everything had begun with such promise. And then, like a windshield chipped by a tiny pebble, the chip turned into deep cracks that spread until there was nothing left to repair.”

Daphne creates a metaphor to describe the slow degradation of her marriage. By using a broken windshield as the image, the reader can better understand how Daphne became stuck in this relationship. To know that it was a gradual transition, rather than an immediate one, the reader better understands how Jackson established power over her.

“I paid for my little act of rebellion. Not right away, because that wasn’t his style. By the time he executed his plan three weeks later, I had nearly forgotten about it. But he hadn’t.”

This is one of the first moments that Jackson is established as the main antagonist of the novel. While prior to this there were moments of discomfort and warning, this is when Jackson begins the process of entrapping Daphne. He remembers her disobedience and, when it hurts her most, uses it as justification for punishment. This moment represents Jackson asserting his full power over Daphne, using his money and social standing to remove all agency from her.

“What? Are you serious? Daphne, I’ve spent the past two years teaching, coaching, grooming you to be a wife I can be proud of. We have a beautiful family. Everyone looks up to us. How can you ask me why I’d fight to keep my family?”

The full extent to which Jackson views Daphne as his property is made evident when he arranges for her to be institutionalized. In their first conversation following his falsification of her mental illness, he makes it clear that he is unconcerned with her thoughts and feelings. He values appearances above the actual experiences of those around him. He sees his family as a possession that he must “keep,” a very different mentality from Daphne’s view that family is something to love and support.

“‘I know how much you love them,’ she said.

 Jackson’s lips curled into a smile, and delight shone in his eyes.

 And just like that, my feeling of being known and understood evaporated.”

Amber presents a statue of a turtle to Daphne. This is the first moment that Daphne feels disconnected from her. Turtles are a trigger for Daphne, linked to traumatic childhood events, and thus Amber’s presentation of a turtle forces Daphne to realize that Amber is not, in truth, her sister. This realization opens the door to later knowledge that Amber has sinister machinations.

“Now that I had been allowed to envision a life away from him, there was no way I was giving up. One way or another, I would be free.” 

Daphne despairs after one of Jackson’s abuses, grappling with her fear that he will continue to entrap her. For the first time, she loses some of her optimism, vowing to be free in a way that implies a potential for self-harm. This passage increases the suspense of the novel as the reader realizes Daphne has provided a ticking clock, knowing that she cannot take the abuse much longer.

“Good news. We’re going to have a son.”

Jackson performs another power move, announcing to Daphne that they will be adopting a baby as he threatens her life in the same scene. This passage increases the dread and tension as the reader believes that Jackson has found a way to keep his hold over Daphne. This, paired with her previous quote stating her need for freedom, furthers the rising action.

“Jackson cut her off. ‘We’ll go back to my apartment. You can stay there. Forever. Please.’

  Her lips curled into a catlike smile.”

For Part 3 of the novel, the narrative switches back to the third-person and jumps between Amber and Daphne. This passage comes from the first of those chapters, immediately following Amber’s threat to abort her child. This is, to the reader’s knowledge, also the first time that Jackson does not get what he wants from either of the two women. It is the beginning of the climax, as the machinations of both Amber and Daphne come to a head.

“As soon as she walked out of the apartment and out of their line of sight, she broke into a smile of her own. It was already worth her while, but she wouldn’t tell him that. How can you put a price on your freedom? But she’d take the money for her children’s sake. Why should Amber have it all? No, she’d make sure that the settlement was generous, and then she’d grant him his quick divorce.”

After a confrontation with Amber and Jackson, Daphne emerges victorious, having won everything that she set out to do when she became aware of Amber’s motives. Even in her moment of triumph, Daphne puts her children first, resolving to ensure that they will be taken care of financially. In this, Daphne reveals her commitment to motherhood that Amber lacks.

“The entire room showcased photos from their wedding, and Daphne realized Amber wanted them to see it. She’d orchestrated Jackson’s being gone, knowing that Daphne wouldn’t leave the girls until he returned.”

Amber arranges for the girls to see wedding pictures, along with a nude portrait, as a new way of establishing dominance. Amber will not allow the girls to live comfortable lives with access to their father. Amber’s ongoing malevolence, paired with Daphne’s newfound strength, sets up the novel’s conclusion as Daphne spends months ensuring that both Jackson and Amber are brought to justice.

“What had she ever done to deserve this? Live was so unfair. […] All she’d wanted was the life she deserved. It didn’t occur to her that she had gotten it.” 

This moment adds to the situational irony of the novel’s conclusion. Amber is frustrated at her life and the abuse she experiences. The authors add a moment of speculation, noting that Amber perhaps got what she deserved, to suggest that she brought her situation through cruelty and criminality.