The It Girl

Jumping ahead 10 years, Hannah lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and works at Tall Tales Bookshop. She’s married and expecting a child with Will de Chastaigne, Hannah and April’s shared love interest from Pelham. Hannah receives a call from her mother, Jill, while at work. Jill tells Hannah that John Neville, the man convicted of murdering April, has died in prison of a heart attack. While Hannah initially feels relief, she fights an urge to cry and leave work.

The “Before” storyline moves to the beginning of the academic year, chronicling the events leading up to April’s murder. Hannah arrives at Pelham with her mother and explores the school, acknowledging the beauty of the campus and feeling surreal. Unlike when she came for her college interview, Hannah walks through the open campus doors freely, without the assistance of a porter. She retrieves her dorm key from the Porter’s Lodge and finds her room—a suite, which she later learns is one of the more historical and unique living quarters. Hannah meets her suitemate, April, and feels intimidated by April’s apparent wealth. An assistant employed by April’s father helps her unpack her expensive luggage, which is filled with an abundance of extravagant, name-brand possessions. In addition, Hannah is struck by April’s appearance, noting, “She had the kind of beauty that hurt your eyes if you looked at her for too long but made it hard to tear your gaze away” (11). The girls’ suite has two bedrooms with a conjoined living room. Hannah and April drink expensive champagne, a gift from April’s father, toasting to Oxford and each other.

Hannah reacts internally to the news of Neville’s death while she finishes her workday. She’s distracted as she travels home, opting to walk and clear her head despite being tired. Hannah anticipates reading many news stories about Neville’s death and decides to read one BBC report. She sees a recent picture of Neville in which he looks much frailer than when she knew him as a porter at Pelham. The image disturbs her, particularly when she observes Neville’s eyes, which carry “a dark, haunted gaze like he’s beseeching her for something—she just doesn’t know what” (22). Will seems relieved to learn that Neville died, characterizing the news as good and casually asking about dinner. His demeanor shocks Hannah, who thinks his brutality is entirely out of character.

Hannah and April get dinner together in the Great Hall—an aesthetically impressive room by Hannah’s standards but not April’s. They run into Will, and April introduces him to Hannah. Hannah is immediately attracted to Will, but April openly flirts with him upon learning that he recently became single. Will introduces Hugh to Hannah as the “brainiest chap in our year” (29). April alludes to a shared past between her and Hugh, which embarrasses him. Ryan Coates and Emily Lippman introduce themselves to April and Hannah. April flaunts the fact that her father’s wealth helped her achieve admission to Oxford while the others had to be the best in their classes. She invites the group back to her and Hannah’s suite to drink champagne.

While Hannah processes the news of Neville’s death, she considers how the information affects Will. She notes that Will is more restrictive about sharing his thoughts and feelings. She believes that this stems from a demanding upbringing in a wealthy family with high expectations.

Hannah was the sole witness in the trial against Neville, and the prosecution’s case depended on her testimony to incarcerate Neville. Reporters and fanatics have hounded her for the past 10 years, casting doubt on her testimony, which is why she feels incredibly anxious about the media’s attention on Neville’s death. Hannah deletes Gmail from her phone, though she acknowledges that she won’t sleep unless she checks her inbox before bed. One email from a reporter asks about Neville; without thoroughly reading the email, Hannah promptly moves it into a folder titled “Requests.”

Hannah feels protective of her unborn baby and the life she and Will have worked hard to create. The couple remains hopeful that Neville’s death will conclude the tragedy that has influenced most of their adult lives.

April, Hannah, Hugh, Will, Ryan, and Emily play a game of strip poker at April’s beckoning. April pushes the group to continue to play late into the night, even though it’s evident that the other four friends are uncomfortable. The group drinks champagne, which appears in an endless supply from April’s mini fridge. Hannah doesn’t like how the champagne tastes but drinks it anyway. She feels out of place and in awe of her new friends, whom she sees as “exotic, clever, glamorous creatures” (44). All but April decide to end the game. Hannah retreats to her room, where she contemplates reinventing herself to be more like her new group of friends, mainly so she can attract Will. When Hannah looks for Will after the others depart, she finds Will and April locked in an embrace and heading for April’s bedroom.

Hannah awakens the following morning, feeling as though everything is different. She walks to the park and admires the children playing, though she limits herself to a socially acceptable length of time to stare at strangers’ kids. Hannah answers her phone, assuming her mother is calling, but abruptly ends the call when she hears a reporter introduce himself.

Hannah contemplates her role in April’s death—not returning to their suite earlier on the night of April’s murder. She envisions what life would be like if April were still alive.

Lost, Hannah asks John Neville to help her find Dr. Myers’s office. Dr. Myers, Hannah’s advisor, excuses Hannah’s lateness to their meeting, noting that his office is difficult to find, though his suite is across the hall from Hannah and April’s. Dr. Myers asks about Hannah’s identity. Hannah struggles with this inquiry, feeling like a fraud trying to fit in with her upper-class peers. Hannah initially stumbles through a surface-level introduction of herself, describing her divorced parents and small, middle-class hometown. However, Hannah realizes that her admission to Oxford, without family connections or prep school grooming, underscores her academic strength. She expresses her determination to find a sense of belonging at Oxford, and Dr. Myers approves.

When Hannah departs Dr. Myers’s office, Neville is standing in the corridor, and Hannah wonders if he waited for her during the hour-long meeting. Hannah finds Neville intrusive, condescending, and overbearing. She feels disturbed, mainly after they shake hands, and decides to avoid him.