The Christie Affair

Rather than using chapter numbers, The Christie Affair cycles through two main section headings: “Here Lies Sister Mary” and “The Disappearance,” the latter accompanied by a date to identify its place in the story. Each section takes place in the past, with the narrator looking back on it from their present moment; however, “Here Lies Sister Mary” is in the distant past, while “The Disappearance” is in the more recent past. The narrative style changes slightly between the two as well; while the entire book is told in a first-person narrative, “Here Lies Sister Mary” is told in a more straightforward, traditional first-person narrative. “The Disappearance,” by contrast, is narrated from a more fluid perspective that often reads as third-person.

The first section opens with “A long time ago” (3), giving the reader a sense of space between the present moment and the events related in these sections. It also creates a warm feeling of storytelling, akin to “Once upon a time.” The opening pages pass through all three time periods of the novel: the distant past, the closer past­, and the present from which the narrator is telling the story. On a subconscious level, this gives the reader clues about what to expect as they move through the novel.

The next section is named “The Disappearance; One Day Before; Thursday, 2 December 1926.” Unlike the generic “long time ago” of the opening section, we are immediately grounded in a specific time. The story quickly establishes the characters of Nan (yet unnamed) and Archie, and their dynamic together—each feels that they are in control. While Archie is given a name immediately (the third word of the chapter), Nan’s name is withheld until most of the way down the page. By the time Agatha enters on page 7, the reader understands the play of power between Archie and Nan.

Later, as Agatha and Nan speak at lunch, the first question Nan asks her is “How’s Teddy?” (10). This seems like an innocent enough inquiry about Agatha’s family, but later we understand why this question was at the forefront of Nan’s mind. The opening dialogue foreshadows the conflicts to come. This thread continues as Nan purchases a gift for Teddy—supposedly to ingratiate herself into Agatha’s family, but in truth, of course, out of affection.

The next section of “The Disappearance” begins to illustrate the shifting point of view that is used throughout the novel. It begins in a standard first-person voice, recounting what the narrator was told by Archie about the events of the evening. At this point, Nan says in narration, “Here’s what I think really happened” (19) and then recounts what is likely a truer account of events. This shift in point of view is essential not only because it reveals more about Archie and Agatha’s relationship, but as a literary device it lays the groundwork for what to expect from the narrative style throughout the book. It is told in the first person, but much of it is accounts created out of the narrator’s best guesses. In this respect, Nan is an unreliable narrator, though she would argue that she’s more reliable even than those who were there in person.

This section also introduces Teddy and establishes her distant relationship with her parents: “Before she was five her parents had left her for an entire year, to travel round the world” (29). Their distance is attributed to Agatha’s upbringing, but it is a marked contrast with the other mentions of parenthood throughout the story, leaving the truth of Teddy’s parenthood open to interpretation.