Verity Summary

“Some families have skeletons in their closets. The Crawford house has a manuscript, a letter, and murder mysteries hidden under its roof. But which version of the truth do you believe?”

1. A Chance Meeting That Changes Everything

From the moment Lowen Ashleigh meets Jeremy Crawford on the streets of Manhattan, her life takes an unexpected turn. The encounter happens after a traumatic accident that leaves Lowen reeling. Jeremy comes to her aid, unexpectedly connecting through their shared recent losses. Little does she know, this coincidence will tether her to a haunting mystery.

The meeting takes a professional turn when Lowen learns Jeremy represents the publisher of Verity Crawford, a famous novelist whose career has stalled due to a car accident. He offers Lowen the chance to step in and finish Verity’s book series. The role means unraveling Verity’s notes and living within the Crawford family home—a decision that places Lowen at the heart of both chaos and temptation.

This relationship is layered from the start, as emotional vulnerability intertwines with budding attraction. Their connection positions Lowen on a treacherous path of blurred boundaries, heightened by her debt and housing instability. The pull to accept this life-changing deal outweighs her instinct to run from the eerie dynamics of the Crawford estate.

Examples

• Jeremy’s comforting act of giving Lowen his shirt after the accident begins their bond.
• Lowen’s hesitation to work with Jeremy stems from his devastating loss of two daughters.
• Her decision to move into the Crawford estate solidifies her inevitable entanglement in the family’s secrets.

2. The Manuscript: A Portrait of a Villain

As Lowen digs into Verity’s estate and research material, she discovers a spine-chilling manuscript titled "So Be It." It’s an unpublished autobiography packed with Verity’s obsession over Jeremy and her disturbing behavior towards her children. This document becomes the linchpin that shapes Lowen’s understanding of Verity and her actions.

Verity’s manuscript reveals a darker side, with shocking accounts of her pregnancies and resentment toward her own children. Descriptions of trying to harm her unborn twins include harrowing imagery of self-harm in a bid to reclaim Jeremy’s undivided attention. The pages are disturbing, confessional, and addictive, luring Lowen deeper into unraveling Verity's life.

This discovery changes everything for Lowen, convincing her that Verity is not just misunderstood but dangerous. It feeds both Lowen’s fear and fascination and begins to twist her perception of the Crawford family, particularly Jeremy, who seems unaware of the truths hidden in his wife’s notes.

Examples

• Verity describes her disdain for her burgeoning belly during pregnancy, fearing it will make her less desirable to Jeremy.
• A vivid passage details Verity’s attempt to terminate her pregnancy with a wire hanger.
• The manuscript carries confessions of favoritism between her twin daughters and a desire to harm one to protect the other.

3. A Dizzying Web of Fear and Fantasy

As Lowen steps into Verity’s role in the Crawford family day by day, parallels between her life and Verity’s begin to blur the lines. Lowen’s initial fear of Verity being a threat is supported by eerie encounters. At the same time, her fantasies about Jeremy grow stronger as she uncovers Verity’s intimate musings about him.

Lowen begins observing strange occurrences that suggest Verity may be faking her vegetative state. She swears she sees Verity move or stare directly at her. Crew’s mysterious behavior, and his comments about his mother speaking to him about dangerous topics, further fuel her unease. Despite mounting signs, Lowen doubts herself, alternately fearing and sympathizing with Crew.

In her obsession over Jeremy, the manuscript becomes both her confidant and her romantic trigger. Verity’s sexual accounts of their past inflame Lowen’s imagination about Jeremy, creating a volatile mix of fear and overwhelming attraction.

Examples

• Lowen spots Verity’s bedroom curtains shifting, suspecting an unseen presence.
• Crew admits his mother tells him to avoid sharp objects, further unsettling Lowen.
• Lowen’s fixation on manuscript love scenes reflects her growing feelings for Jeremy.

4. The House as a Breeding Ground for Secrets

The isolated Vermont estate is not just the setting, but a character itself in Verity’s narrative. Every corner of the house holds secrets or serves as a backdrop to the twisted drama. The lake where Harper drowned looms as a reminder of familial tragedy. Verity’s upstairs bedroom becomes the epicenter of Lowen’s unanswered questions.

The house, rich with gothic elements, isolates Lowen psychologically and physically. Its dark corridors and eerie stillness make Lowen question her perceptions of reality. The nursery, with remnants of the deceased twins' presence, anchors the sense of loss that perpetuates Lowen’s and Jeremy’s decisions.

Just as the estate becomes Lowen’s prison, it also reveals her inner turmoil. The more time she spends there, the deeper her obsessions grow, binding her to Jeremy’s narrative of grief and shaping her choices.

Examples

• Harper’s drowning in the lake acts as a stark reminder of the family's tragedy.
• Rooms like Verity’s locked office and nursery symbolize secrets and loss.
• The master bedroom’s emotional weight shifts as Lowen and Jeremy grow intimate.

5. Sleepwalking into the Abyss

Lowen’s history of sleepwalking becomes a critical metaphor, reflecting a loss of control over her life as she dives deeper into Verity’s world. This habit serves as both a literal and figurative representation of her subconscious being consumed by the Crawford family’s darkness.

One night, she wakes up in Verity’s bed, entirely unaware of how she got there. This horrifying moment is a turning point. It signals how entangled Lowen has become — not just with Jeremy, but with Verity herself. As she grapples with shame and fear, Jeremy reassures her, further tightening his grip on her emotions.

From locking herself in at night to leaving uncertainty at her own decisions, Lowen’s sleepwalking slowly spirals out of control. This physical manifestation of her mental entanglement foreshadows the chaos to come.

Examples

• Lowen waking in Verity’s bed shows how her subconscious mirrors her fear of replacing Verity.
• Jeremy reassuring Lowen increases her dependency on him.
• Lowen locks herself in nightly, mirroring Verity’s isolation upstairs.

6. Trust and Manipulation

The recurring theme of manipulation threads through the novel’s relationships, with characters exploiting one another’s vulnerabilities. Lowen’s growing reliance on Jeremy creates a power imbalance. Jeremy’s actions, driven by his interpretation of Verity’s manuscript, also reveal how much power he wields in their dynamic.

Jeremy’s character becomes murkier as hints drop about his darker motivations. Questions arise surrounding his role in Verity’s accident, his intense protectiveness over Crew, and his willingness to dispose of Verity when things spiral. This hints at an undercurrent of control beneath his grieving husband facade.

The manuscript and the letter serve as opposing forces manipulating Lowen’s final choices. Caught between wanting to believe Jeremy and questioning Verity, Lowen risks losing the ability to critically assess the truth altogether.

Examples

• Jeremy locking Verity’s wheelchair raises unease about his motives.
• His insistence on reading the manuscript leads to Verity's violent “accident.”
• Lowen’s manipulation of the manuscript’s discovery feeds Jeremy's rage.

7. The Manuscript Versus the Letter

The climactic shift in the story challenges readers with opposing narratives of Verity’s guilt or innocence. The manuscript portrays Verity as a monstrous woman willing to kill her child, while the letter claims it was crafted as a therapeutic exercise focused on writing from a villain’s perspective.

The novel’s ultimate twist forces readers to question what constitutes truth. The manuscript directly motivates Jeremy’s violent actions; however, the letter reveals his attempt to murder Verity over a misunderstanding. Both accounts undermine the reliability of every character.

This leaves Lowen and readers stuck between believing Verity’s villainous confessions or her desperate explanation. It also reveals how perception can warp narratives, paving the way for manipulations and deadly outcomes.

Examples

• The manuscript depicts Verity killing Harper through a staged accident.
• The letter explains the manuscript as fiction, never meant to be read by others.
• Jeremy’s actions imply a mix of guilt and rage over past tragedies.

8. Love, Desire, and Obsession

Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy morph from empathy to obsession as the novel progresses. Her fixation mirrors Verity’s own obsessive love for her husband. Both women risk everything to hold onto him, sabotaging the boundaries of morality and rationality.

Verity’s manuscript paints a picture of absolute devotion that fuels Lowen’s fantasies, ultimately driving her to claim Jeremy and Crew as her own family. But Lowen’s dependence blinds her to Jeremy’s own destructive flaws, contributing to her descent.

The escalation of Lowen’s emotions culminates in her active involvement in Verity’s murder. In her bid to claim Jeremy, she has both literally and figuratively replaced Verity.

Examples

• Lowen devouring sexual passages about Jeremy demonstrates her fixation.
• Verity’s obsessive jealousy of her children mirrors Lowen’s role in the family.
• Lowen reaching complicity in Verity’s death illustrates her ultimate surrender.

9. The Cycle of Violence

The novel’s chilling conclusion suggests that Verity's dysfunction trickles down generationally. Crew’s casual cruelty and lack of remorse cement this theory. His dangerous choices mirror the toxic behaviors exhibited by Jeremy and Verity.

Lowen’s acceptance of doubling Jeremy’s crimes signals her descent into this cycle of violence. She becomes so indoctrinated that she takes steps to cover up the letter’s truths, burying evidence of Jeremy’s original sins.

Ethical dilemmas and traumas haunt the Crawford family well beyond the story. This ongoing instability leaves readers grappling with the question: can escape from a legacy of dysfunction ever truly be possible?

Examples

• Crew puts his infant sister in harm’s way, echoing behavior learned at home.
• Lowen destroys potential evidence of Jeremy’s culpability.
• Generational dysfunction is implied in the family’s repeated cycles of harm.

Takeaways

1. Always question the reliability of narratives, especially when they come from biased or emotionally charged perspectives.
2. Recognize the red flags of manipulation and power imbalances in relationships; trusting blindly can lead to disastrous outcomes.
3. Consider escaping toxic environments and cycles of harm before they consume your sense of self and morality.