Brief overview
H.D. Carlton’s dark romance thriller, Haunting Adeline recap, tells a story of Adeline Reilly, a famous writer who relocates to her grandmother’s haunted mansion following her death. As she unearths the past of her own family, it emerges that her great grandmother was murdered and the murderer was never brought to justice.
On top of that, there is someone stalking Adeline. A multifaceted personality who appears both dangerous and luring is Zade Meadows as he controls an underground society that wants to put an end to human trafficking. As Adeline moves through the perilous world of her predator and private family information, she finds herself engaged in a fatal game with him.
Prologue: Chapter 6 Analysis
The first chapters include a brief overview of Adeline and Z, as well as their pals Daya, Sarina, Jay, and Ruby, as well as several characters who have since died, such as Gigi, John, and Serafina. Adeline is first defined by her social anxiety, as demonstrated in the book signing scenario, but she is also distinguished by her curiosity and resistance. When Greyson punches a hole in her wall, Adeline automatically examines the area between walls, where she discovers Gigi’s diaries. Similarly, the first two times Adeline discovers a rose in her home, she armed herself and investigates the house, demonstrating both curiosity and bravery. However, Adeline appears to be troubled by suicidal ideas and morbid preoccupations. She considers suicide on the cliff, and in light of her stalker’s and her great-grandmother’s deaths, she considers how staying in the home could lead to her death. Adeline is a writer, which helps to characterize her vivid imagination, as she envisions Parsons Manor as the location for a horror film.
Crucially, these descriptions do not correspond to Adeline’s image of her mother, Sarina. Adeline dislikes her mother’s criticism of the other women in the family, therefore she unites with her grandmother, Serafina, and great-grandmother, Gigi. Both women are described as having a “wild personality and sharp tongue” (33), highlighting their outgoing characteristics and positive outlooks. Adeline is neither upbeat or optimistic, but she is also not “normal,” like her mother. This disparity creates a dynamic in which Gigi and Serafina are wacky and entertaining cousins, whereas Sarina is serious, even oppressive, in her yearning for normalcy. Daya, Adeline’s friend, is described similarly to Gigi and Serafina in that she is both gregarious and a little obscene. Daya is most likely the aspect in Adeline’s life who maintains the feeling of fun and exuberant personalities she finds in her great-grandmother and grandmother. Adeline has not fully confronted her grief since Serafina’s death, as evidenced by her reluctance to enter the attic, but her decision to live in her grandmother’s bedroom demonstrates her emotional connection to her grandmother and provides plot foreshadowing, as both Gigi and Serafina lived there.
The topic of The Balance of Morality in Determining Character is already emerging, with Z as both a stalker and a vigilante. The fact that he breaks into Adeline’s house, leaves roses, and refers to her as “little mouse” develops a scary, malevolent demeanor, establishing him as the novel’s adversary. His comparison of pursuing Adeline to playing with a mouse implies that he will eventually harm Adeline, and it even makes Adeline’s death appear to be the purpose of his stalking. Z, on the other hand, has a heroic, if not antiheroic, side to his fight against child trafficking. Child trafficking is seen as one of the most evil forms of victimization, making Z’s role as a warrior against child trafficking morally unquestionable. His protective behavior toward the kidnapped youngsters suggests that he does not seek to harm or traumatize vulnerable victims. Nonetheless, when Z first sees Adeline, he says that he might “do something stupid like kidnap her in front of at least fifty witnesses” (28), implying that if there were no witnesses, he would still abduct her. He calls kidnapping her in the bookshop “stupid” because he would get caught, not because he thinks it is ethically wrong. The apparent contrast between Z’s moral rectitude in rescuing trafficking children and his predatory behavior with Adeline creates an important tension in the story as the two develop a relationship. The romance genre has a stereotype in which readers are expected to root for the protagonists who eventually fall in love. Dark romance compounds this dynamic, pushing readers to confront the moral complexity of the couple’s circumstance.
Chapters 7–12 Analysis
Adeline and Z’s predicament worsens as both of them take more drastic actions, with Adeline attacking Z in her yard and Z killing Arch and flooding Adeline’s house with flowers. Adeline’s attraction to Z is becoming troublesome, evoking a subject from The Distinction Between Consent and Arousal. This attraction is similar to Gigi’s attraction to Ronaldo, with a few notable deviations. Ronaldo appears to be tranquil, but Z admits to having slain “many men who have worn different faces of the devil” (96), referring to his vigilante efforts to combat child trafficking. He also kills Arch and his family without mercy. This distinction emphasizes the varied reasons why Gigi and Adeline fall in love with their stalkers. Ronaldo does not appear to want control over Gigi, whereas Z is intent on shattering Adeline’s spirit and claiming her for himself. Z orders Adeline, using his nickname for her, “little mouse,” to stress his power or control over her. Arch “trying to lay claim” to Z’s possession, Adeline, is the primary motivation for Z’s murder of Arch, with Arch being “a fucking psychopath” (96) serving as a secondary motive.
Z’s attitude toward Adeline contradicts his vigilante position, producing a troublesome relationship and reflecting the concept of The Balance of Morality in Determining Character. Though Z considers himself a hero for rescuing young girls from trafficking, he regards Adeline as childish, a process of infantilization in which he believes he can “drag her ass out of there” (96) when Adeline walks to a club, much as he hauled children out of Josh’s warehouse. Z’s references to kidnapping Adeline, as well as his claim that he aims to seduce her and then “deliver the pain when she gets too close to the flame” (103), indicate that Z does not regard Adeline as a person with agency. Instead, he sees her as something he can control and exploit. His actions are undermined by a sense of insecurity, as he notes that Adeline will “search for something else that makes her feel” the way Z feels for her, while simultaneously asserting that “she’ll never find it” and “won’t let her try” (105). These viewpoints are diametrically opposed: if Adeline will never meet someone better than Z, he has no motive to discourage her from trying. The only thing keeping her from looking for other guys would be the worry that she would meet a better man than Z. Furthermore, Z’s strong anti-trafficking stance appears to collide with his desire to dominate Adeline. He writes that he wants “to ease their pain by creating [his own]” (146), which translates to forcing himself to watch the victims’ recordings, which he finds unpleasant. However, this sentiment may also imply that Z’s predation of Adeline is a representation of the daily anguish he sees inflicted on trafficking victims.
Adeline, on the other hand, appears to be falling for Z’s plot, since she becomes aroused when Z is on her lawn. She charges him but does not bring her knife, showing that she does not intend to harm Z. Adeline, like Gigi, wants to persuade Z to talk, mirroring her great-grandmother’s early attraction to Ronaldo. Crucially, Adeline’s chapters in the book are named “The Manipulator,” and Chapter 11 explains why, since Adeline considers her writing to be an act of manipulation in which she makes readers feel specific emotions and become engrossed in her characters. She is not manipulative in her dealings with Z until Z enters her yard and she pretends to be speaking with someone else in the home. This establishes the theme of Performance as Deception. Z is perplexed by this, but he eventually stays and stares at her, probably until he is certain that no one else is with her. However, this interaction demonstrates Adeline’s ability to counter Z’s efforts, leaving her interactions up to her “heady mix of fear and arousal” (132). This interaction also adds the aspect of roleplaying to their connection. Fear and arousal are the same sentiments expressed by Gigi in her diary entries as she becomes closer to Ronaldo, implying that Adeline is following in her great-grandmother’s footsteps.
Chapters 13–20: Analysis
This chapter section contains the novel’s most significant moral dilemma, as Z, who has dedicated his life to eliminating child and sex trafficking, eventually forces Adeline to engage in nonconsensual sex acts. Adeline’s struggles to recognize and reconcile her physical responses and emotional condition during the sexual assault, as well as Z’s subsequent attempt to rationalize his actions, address both The Distinction Between Consent and Arousal and The Balance of Morality in Determining Character. Adeline has been torn between fear and curiosity in Z as a stalker, and in Chapters 16 and 18, the battle moves to rage and arousal. When Adeline says “there’s something wrong” with her and discusses her “urge to smile back” (153) at Z in her yard, she is expressing emotional interest about her stalker’s behaviour. Adeline’s curiosity about Z is not clearly sexual, nor does it constitute permission or sexual interest; nonetheless, when Z sexually assaults Adeline, her body responds with excitement to the stimulation. Similarly, Adeline’s statement, “I feel the break,” does not imply permission. The moment my body realizes it requires what he has given me” (216). Adeline’s body is isolated as something apart from her conscious perception of the event, indicating that her arousal is not a consenting feeling and does not imply her consent to Z’s activities.
Z sexually violates Adeline while knowing how much agony it causes its victims. He sexually attacks Adeline while also hunting down and killing abusers and traffickers every day. Despite his loathing for people who harm women and children, he continues to do the same crimes. Z’s explanation for his conduct is that while the assaults are wrong, he knows Adeline “better than she knows herself” (223). This argument implies that, despite Adeline’s explicit instructions to stop and go, he is aware that she secretly wants him to stay and abuse her. He also utilizes Adeline’s text messages to defend his conduct and gauge her interest. After considering these factors, Z concludes that he does not feel guilt for his activities because he enjoyed them. Z’s obsession on retribution is an interesting aspect of his perspective, as he regularly mentions that he is “punishing” Adeline for offenses against him, such as bringing Arch back to her house and cursing at Z. In each of these cases, his logic fails to see that his actions are unethical; it appears that Z does not adhere to the same moral norms that he establishes for others.
With Max menacing Adeline, Z openly takes on the role of her defender for the first time. Z appears to resolve the matter by threatening Max, but there is still the possibility that Max will appear later as another minor enemy. This further complicates Adeline and Z’s relationship. She gives informed agreement to his protection of her from Max, and she and Z even start working together on an inquiry into Gigi’s murder. The collaboration they form in the murder mystery subplot contrasts with their hostile relationship in the main plot, in which Z’s stalker actions escalate to rape.
These chapters advance the novel’s numerous narratives and further highlight the connections between Gigi and Adeline through Gigi’s diary entries. Gigi’s relationship with Ronaldo is similar to Adeline and Z’s, although there is no evidence that Ronaldo ever sexually attacked her. Z doubts Ronaldo could have killed Gigi, and it is hinted that the true murderer has yet to be identified. These chapters also follow Z’s quest for the blood ritual involving the ouroboros symbol. Z infiltrates the club where he discovers Mark Williams, adding a fourth storyline to the already existing ones: Adeline and Z’s situation, Daya and Adeline’s plans for Satan’s Affair, Gigi’s past with Ronaldo, and Z’s attempts to infiltrate the sex trafficking ring, with the possibility of Max resurfacing later. These storylines threaten to intersect, as Daya and Z both develop an interest in uncovering Gigi’s story; Daya, Adeline, and Z all intend to attend Satan’s Affair; and Williams, along with the ouroboros cult, have arrived in town just in time to potentially become involved in Satan’s Affair. The novel’s intricate plots hint to its cross-genre elements, including a murder mystery, dark romance, and psychological thriller. The “cat and mouse” game mentioned in the series title works on numerous levels and helps to connect the novel’s various genre aspects under a single dynamic.
Chapters 21–26 Analysis
Adeline’s focus turns from loathing Zade as her abuser to falling in love with him, despite the possibility that this is Stockholm Syndrome, as a new threat emerges in Mark Williams. Mark is distinguished by his charisma, which conceals his extensive power over the ouroboros cult, adding to the theme of Performance as Deception. His party, residence, and interactions with Zade and Adeline all point to him being a stereotypical politician, speaking frequently and confidently, with Adeline dismissing an hour of discussion as “boring work-related stuff” (326). However, Mark appears to have an alcohol problem, as he drinks a lot. Only after a series of drinks, which causes Zade to perceive “alcoholism alongside his sadism” (269), does Mark turn to photograph Adeline at the restaurant, and “as alcohol takes control of his body” (326), he drops his phone, disclosing the video’s secret. This drunkenness may connect Mark to John, Gigi’s spouse, but it appears to be more crucial in defining Mark as a gluttonous person. His fondness for sex, smoking, and drinking evokes the image of an elderly, affluent man who is accustomed to acquiring whatever he likes. Mark does not appear to recognize the impact of his actions on others. Even after dropping the phone and discussing the footage with Zade, Mark does not appear to understand the threat his drinking poses to himself and his fellow cult members.
Zade’s involvement in Adeline’s life evolves as he argues that he is not responsible for any of Adeline’s current difficulties. He refers to Adeline’s situation as “situations life throws you in” (332), despite his evident role in pushing Adeline’s foes to target her. Zade argues that Mark was already interested in Adeline before they went to the restaurant, citing Adeline’s beauty as the source of her weakness. Adeline’s activities, such as going to the club where she met Arch and working at a restaurant instead of at home, are motivated by a desire to escape her home, which is no longer a safe environment for her. Zade has practically forced Adeline to leave her home and confront the threats she now faces by pursuing her, breaking into her home, and sexually assaulting her. By ignoring these facts, Zade reinvents himself as Adeline’s defender, teaching her how to defend herself against males like Max and Mark. Adeline is being seduced by Zade’s “magnetism,” which is frequently accentuated as a result of his attitude and distinctive physical appearance. The narrative portrays Adeline as surrendering to Zade’s beautiful looks and confidence, which overshadow the invasive and violent activities he does against Adeline and others. Similarly, Zade may conceal his act of invading Adeline’s space and body behind his vocation of rescuing women and children from human trafficking. This interaction exemplifies The Balance of Morality in Determining Character, although Adeline is looking for reasons to adore Zade. She tried to uncover proof that “all stalkers are crazy” (253), yet her search implies that the only immoral and criminal act Zade has committed is stalking her; she ignores the sexual assaults.
Daya’s role in Adeline’s life is also changing, since Adeline is no longer able to disclose key details about her and Zade’s relationship to her best friend. Daya works for Zade, but Zade does not want everyone in his organization to be aware of Mark Williams and the Ouroboros cult. This omission adds to the list of things Adeline is unable to discuss with Daya, the first being the initial instance of sexual assault, about which Adeline says privately, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to talk about that one” (251). While this viewpoint stresses Adeline’s trauma at the hands of Zade, to the point where she is unable to address it with her best friend, it also examines Adeline’s connection with Daya. Daya alternates between being protective of Adeline and assisting her in perilous situations. Though Daya says she is “not judging” Adeline, her statements on the sexual assault imply that she supports Adeline’s relationship with her abuser. Daya informs Adeline, “There is something wrong with him. But we knew it from the severed hands” (251), which minimizes Zade’s violence in order to justify Adeline’s attraction to him. This contradicts Daya’s previous portrayal of herself as protective of Adeline, but it also suggests that Daya may not be a trustworthy friend when it comes to potential threats.
Chapters 27–34 Analysis
This section marks numerous significant milestones in Adeline’s relationship with Zade, both in terms of her interactions with him and her internal characterization. When Zade visits her room after losing a child, Adeline sees a different side of him and is intrigued to his vulnerability. Even in his internal monologue, Zade consistently sees himself as indestructible, terrifying, and in complete control of every circumstance. Adeline, too, sees Zade in this light, since he is cautious to establish a sense of dominance and intimidation around her, which relates to the concept of Performance as Deception. Zade behaves as he does to avoid exposing Adeline his vulnerability, but his frightening and aggressive displays are also staged. Contrary to Adeline’s reaction to Zade’s vulnerability, she also exposes her own distinct personality, altering the nature of her and Zade’s connection up until this point. Adeline remarks in the haunted house, “It’s my favorite aphrodisiac, and something I can never assuage until I’m home alone afterwards” (354), referring to both the panic of being pursued and in danger, as well as masturbation. Though Zade’s assaults are horrifying, Adeline finds them stimulating, emphasizing the issue of The Distinction Between Consent and Arousal. Enjoying or being aroused by fear is not the same as wanting to be assaulted, but it appears that this characterisation is intended to justify Zade’s actions after the fact. In reality, Adeline initiates this pattern in the house of mirrors when she flees Zade with the express intention of heightening the sense of danger in their sexual experience.
The concept of The Balance of Morality in Determining Character expands on Zade’s behavior, combining his career, his interactions with society, and his treatment of Adeline in the character of Sibby. Sibby is a victim of abuse, and her trauma has driven her to become a serial killer. When Zade and Sibby first meet, Sibby accuses him of abusing women. Though Zade admits that “she’s not entirely wrong” (363), he qualifies the contrast between himself and Mark, hinting that he isn’t as awful as Mark. Still, upon pondering on Sibby’s deeds, Zade observes that her victims were not “good people,” meaning that he is also a horrible person. Sibby provides a fascinating yardstick for measuring Zade’s morality, not just because she correctly identifies him as an abuser, but also because of the way Zade views and treats her. He understands her condition, yet he does not assist her, even utilizing her mental health issues to blame her for four killings and progress his membership in the Society. He refers to Sibby in a tiny tone, calling her a “little girl,” which should motivate him to strive to get her out of her circumstances. Nonetheless, Zade exploits Sibby before abandoning her, much like the men he targets do to their victims. The murders then serve as a means for Zade to combine his crimes into a single deed with Adeline. Adeline slips into this simplistic reasoning when she confesses that Zade’s death was most likely justified, meaning that Zade is a moral character despite his assaults on Adeline.
It is vital to notice that the similarities between the Society’s government plot and the Q Anon conspiracies, which Carlton denies in her preamble, are highlighted in this chapter section. The Q Anon conspiracy is based on the belief that high-ranking members of government around the world, particularly in the United States, are involved in a major child trafficking operation that includes blood rituals, sacrifices, and pedophilia. According to this theory, the cabal includes a number of well-known personalities who are frequently associated with liberal or left-leaning ideas and policies that benefit minorities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and social welfare programs. The Q Anon iteration is not the first of these conspiracies, and Carlton correctly observes that ideas of blood rituals are frequently associated with antisemitic arguments and organizations. In Haunting Adeline, the cabal of the Q Anon conspiracy is referenced, but Carlton differentiates it from the conspiracy’s bigotry and antisemitism by indicating that the cult’s practitioners are Christian or worship the Eternal Rebirth, a collection of cosmic deities. Nonetheless, when examining the conspiracy underlying the Society, it is critical to remember that the conspiracy is grounded in truth.
Chapters 35–42 Analysis
The novel concludes by tying up some current plots and elaborating on others, leaving a narrative opportunity for the sequel, Hunting Adeline. The story of Gigi’s murder closes with the revelation that Frank, Mark’s father and John’s best friend, was her murderer, motivated by envy and vengeance. The murder mystery part of the novel is ultimately less essential than the action of Zade’s operations and Adeline’s emotional journey with Zade, making the resolution of Gigi’s murder more important in relation to other narratives than as a standalone narrative arc. The more crucial components of Gigi’s death are its impact on Adeline, who discovers that Sera covered up Gigi’s murder for Frank, and the revelation that Ronaldo was not a murderer. This knowledge reframes Adeline’s connection with both Sera and her mother, Sarina, by revealing the weight of guilt that likely prevented Sera from leaving Parsons Manor, as well as the reason for Sarina’s estrangement from her own mother. Adeline thinks her mother will ever tell her when she learned of Gigi’s death, but she does acknowledge her mother’s distant connection with Sera, saying she has “no memories of those two ever getting along” (528). This clarification demonstrates how Gigi’s murder separated Sera and Sarina, as well as how solving the murder may allow Adeline to become closer to Sarina and Sera’s memory.
Admittedly, the murder mystery appeared to be intended to focus on Zade’s parallels with Ronaldo, but by the time Adeline discovers that Ronaldo was not the murderer, she is in a position with Zade where she does not want reasons to distance herself from him, either as her stalker or lover. In fact, this chapter section marks the culmination of Adeline and Zade’s relationship, as Zade reveals Adeline’s vulnerability in Chapter 35, the two have consensual sex several times, and Adeline even admits that she may be falling in love with Zade, despite the fact that he was her stalker and assaulted her earlier in the novel. Adeline pauses when discussing her relationship to Daya, reflecting about her best friend’s relationship with a serial killer.I’m not sure what he is. Boyfriend? Lover?” (467). Adeline’s uncertainty about the different roles Zade might play in her life falls short of her expectations, as she and Zade both appear to believe that they are soul mates, or predestined life partners, which cannot be captured by terms like “boyfriend.” However, Adeline once again diverts attention away from the crux of Zade’s misdeeds by emphasizing the fact that he murders people. The moral debate over Zade’s murdering of sex traffickers has already been answered, as he is providing a service to society by removing those who prey on the vulnerable. This focuses on the issue of Moral Balance in Character Determination. The moral issue that neither Zade nor Adeline have properly addressed is that Zade raped Adeline on several occasions, which means he forced her to do and accept sex activities against her will. Nonetheless, Daya continues to serve as Adeline’s mirror, accepting her relationship with Zade at face value and going forward.
When Zade and Adeline do have consensual sex, Zade refers to their contacts as his “church,” in which he is her “god,” and, while he acknowledges that this makes Adeline a “goddess,” he is clear about his role in their relationship. Despite their “divine” affections for one another, Zade does not appear to understand the concept of consent. This is particularly evident in his remark to Jay, which reads: “Sounds to me like you don’t understand a woman’s body well enough to know when it sings for you, even when her mouth tries to resist” (483), demonstrating his failure to understand The Distinction Between Consent and Arousal. Critically, the term “sing” here implies the same kind of supernatural or heavenly language that Zade employs to characterize Adeline’s role in his life, avoiding the issue of consent by appealing to conceptions of fate or destiny. Carlton appears to pull Adeline and Zade closer together in order to fulfill the novel’s romance element while also preparing the reader for a larger impact in the last chapters, when Zade fails to raid Savior’s and Adeline is kidnapped, presumably by Max. The work is designed to have a sequel, thus the narrative arc builds up to the cliffhanger at the end, encouraging readers to read the sequel to find out who outsmarted Zade and what happened to Adeline after the kidnapping.
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