Unpleasant Endings Begin

The story opens with seven-year-old Calliope "Calley" Dakin's father's brutal murder, a trauma that will echo through her life. Her mother, Roberta Ann Carroll Dakin ("Mama"), cloaks the horror in euphemism, but the truth is inescapable: Joe Cane Dakin ("Daddy") was kidnapped, tortured, and killed by two women in New Orleans. Calley's childhood is instantly marked by violence, confusion, and the sense that her family's legacy is both a burden and a curse. The murder is not just a personal tragedy but a public spectacle, and the details—kept from Calley at first—will haunt her as she grows, shaping her understanding of love, loss, and the darkness that can lurk beneath the surface of ordinary lives.

Calliope's Inheritance of Noise

Calley's world is divided between her mother's proud, old-money Carroll heritage and her father's humble, "backside-of-the-moon" Dakin roots. Her mother's beauty and social ambition contrast with her father's warmth and honesty. Calley is caught between these worlds, inheriting her father's practical nature and her mother's sense of inadequacy. The family's history is a patchwork of secrets, resentments, and class anxieties, with Calley's very name—Calliope—serving as a symbol of her parents' conflicting values and the noise of their unresolved pasts. The chapter sets the stage for Calley's lifelong struggle to find her place in a family and society that seem determined to define her by blood and reputation.

The Edsel to New Orleans

The Dakin family's journey to New Orleans for a Ford dealers' convention is laden with tension and foreboding. Calley's father, ever the optimist, tries to make the trip special for her, promising birthday treats and family togetherness. But beneath the surface, resentments simmer—her mother's disdain for the Dakin side, her brother Ford's cruelty, and Calley's own sense of being an outsider. The Edsel, a symbol of failed American dreams, carries them through rain and uncertainty toward the city where their lives will be irrevocably changed. The chapter is rich with sensory detail, capturing the claustrophobia of family, the weight of expectation, and the subtle premonitions of disaster.

Rain, Clocks, and Candlesticks

In New Orleans, Calley and her mother wander through antique shops, seeking candlesticks and distraction. In one peculiar shop filled with ticking clocks, Calley encounters a mysterious woman and a proprietor who seem to exist outside ordinary time. The loss and recovery of her mother's pocketbook, the strange suspension of the clocks, and the sense of being watched all hint at forces beyond the rational. This episode marks the beginning of Calley's lifelong sensitivity to the uncanny—a world where objects, time, and people are never quite what they seem, and where the past is always waiting to intrude on the present.

The Shop That Ticked

The ticking shop becomes a crucible for Calley's growing awareness of the supernatural and the dangerous. The encounter with the enigmatic woman and the proprietor, the eerie stopping of all the clocks, and the return of the lost pocketbook all suggest that Calley is at the center of something larger than herself. The shop is a liminal space, a threshold between childhood innocence and the adult world's mysteries and threats. Calley's sense of being chosen—or cursed—by forces she cannot understand is deepened, setting the stage for the tragedies and revelations to come.

Daddy Disappears

The family's world collapses when Calley's father vanishes. Ransom notes appear, signed by "Judy" and "Janice," two women who work at the hotel. The authorities are baffled, the family is paralyzed by fear and suspicion, and Calley is both witness and victim to the adult world's failures. The ransom money is gathered, but the instructions never come. The chapter is suffused with dread, as the ordinary rituals of family life—meals, prayers, birthdays—are hollowed out by the absence at their center. Calley's sense of reality is shaken, and the seeds of lifelong trauma are sown.

Ransom Notes and Revelations

The truth of Joe Cane Dakin's fate is revealed in all its gruesome detail: kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by Judy DeLucca and Janice Hicks, two women whose motives remain inscrutable. The trial and confessions provide no closure, only more questions. The ransom money, the footlocker, and the missing body parts become symbols of the family's brokenness and the world's indifference to suffering. Calley's childhood ends abruptly, replaced by a precocious understanding of evil and the limits of justice. The chapter is a meditation on the incomprehensibility of violence and the ways in which trauma is both personal and collective.

The Trial of Waiting

In the aftermath of the murder, the family is beset by suspicion—of outsiders, of each other, of themselves. Calley's mother is suspected, then exonerated, but the damage is done. The family's home is searched, their servants dismissed, and their social standing eroded. Calley and her brother Ford are left to navigate a world where adults are unreliable and the past is a minefield. The chapter explores the corrosive effects of grief, the ways in which families turn on themselves, and the impossibility of returning to innocence.

The Women Who Killed

The trial of Judy and Janice exposes the inadequacy of the law to explain or contain evil. Their confessions are detailed but empty of meaning; their motives are as opaque as ever. The women are executed, but the sense of justice is hollow. Calley is left with the knowledge that some wounds never heal, some questions are never answered, and some stories resist resolution. The chapter is a meditation on the limits of understanding, the persistence of mystery, and the ways in which violence echoes through generations.

Aftermath and Return

The family returns to Alabama, changed and diminished. Their home is under police seal, their possessions contested, and their relationships strained to the breaking point. Calley's mother battles for control of the estate, only to discover that her husband has left her with nothing. The family's social standing is destroyed, and they are forced to take refuge with Mamadee, Calley's formidable grandmother. The chapter is a study in humiliation, resilience, and the ways in which the past refuses to stay buried.

Ramparts and Rituals

At Ramparts, Mamadee's ancestral home, Calley is both outsider and heir. The house is a museum of family pride and secrets, haunted by the ghosts of the past—literal and figurative. Calley's relationship with her mother deteriorates, her brother becomes increasingly estranged, and the rituals of Southern life—church, meals, funerals—are revealed as both comfort and prison. The chapter explores the ways in which place shapes identity, the persistence of memory, and the longing for escape.

The Will and the Ransom

The reading of Mamadee's will is a final act of betrayal: the estate goes to Ford, with Calley and her mother left with nothing. The ransom money, hidden and lost, becomes a symbol of all that has been stolen from them—security, love, hope. Calley's mother's schemes to contest the will, her reliance on dubious lawyers, and her growing bitterness are contrasted with Calley's own resourcefulness and determination. The chapter is a meditation on the costs of survival, the meaning of inheritance, and the ways in which families are both curse and blessing.

Ghosts and Guilt

The boundaries between the living and the dead blur as Calley is visited by the ghosts of her ancestors—Mamadee, Cosima, and others. These encounters are both terrifying and illuminating, forcing Calley to confront the legacy of violence, betrayal, and unresolved grief that haunts her family. The supernatural is not just a metaphor but a lived reality, shaping Calley's understanding of herself and her place in the world. The chapter is a meditation on guilt, forgiveness, and the possibility of redemption.

Merrymeeting's Sanctuary

Calley and her mother find refuge at Merrymeeting, a boarding house on Santa Rosa Island run by the enigmatic Merry Verlow. Here, Calley is exposed to a wider world—of guests, cultures, and ideas—but also to new dangers and secrets. The house is a sanctuary but also a crucible, where Calley's gifts—her sensitivity to voices, her ability to "listen to the book"—are both nurtured and exploited. The chapter explores the tension between safety and confinement, the search for belonging, and the ways in which the past is never truly left behind.

Growing Up Haunted

As Calley grows into adolescence, she navigates the complexities of love, sexuality, and identity. Her relationships with Grady, Roger, and others are shaped by the traumas of her childhood and the secrets of her family. The supernatural continues to intrude—through dreams, voices, and uncanny events—forcing Calley to reckon with the ways in which the dead shape the living. The chapter is a meditation on the challenges of growing up haunted, the search for agency, and the possibility of forging a new self.

The Attic's Secrets

The attic at Merrymeeting is a repository of secrets—old trunks, forgotten toys, and the literal and figurative skeletons of the past. Calley's explorations uncover not just objects but memories, traumas, and truths that have been hidden for generations. The discovery of the ransom money, the egg locket, and the haunted bird guide are turning points, forcing Calley to confront the costs of knowledge and the responsibilities of inheritance. The chapter is a meditation on the power of secrets, the dangers of curiosity, and the necessity of facing the past.

The Book That Listens

Calley's bird guide becomes a conduit for supernatural communication—a "book that listens" and speaks in the voices of the lost and the dead. Through it, Calley learns the stories of her ancestors, the truth of her family's curses and gifts, and the ways in which language and memory are intertwined. The book is both a comfort and a burden, a source of wisdom and a reminder of all that has been lost. The chapter is a meditation on the magic of language, the persistence of the past, and the ways in which the dead continue to speak.

The Carnival of Bloodlines

The revelation that Calley's family is bound to a secretive "Circus" of the gifted and the cursed reframes her understanding of her life. The circus is both literal and metaphorical—a network of power, talent, and exploitation that stretches across generations. Calley's great-grandmother Cosima, her aunts Faith and Hope, and the enigmatic Mrs. Mank are all part of this web, and Calley herself is both prize and pawn. The chapter explores the ways in which bloodlines are both destiny and trap, and the possibility of breaking free.

The Enduring Shore

The novel closes with Calley's return to Santa Rosa Island after years away, her reunion with her brother Ford, and her final reckoning with the ghosts of her past. The island, battered by storms but enduring, is a symbol of survival and the possibility of renewal. Calley's journey—from trauma to agency, from victim to survivor—is complete, but the questions of inheritance, justice, and forgiveness remain. The chapter is a meditation on the endurance of place, the persistence of memory, and the hope that, even in a world haunted by loss, new life is possible.

Characters

Calliope "Calley" Dakin

Calley is the novel's narrator and emotional core, a girl marked from childhood by violence, loss, and the burden of her family's secrets. Sensitive, intelligent, and gifted with a supernatural ability to "listen" to the voices of the dead, Calley is both victim and agent in her own story. Her journey is one of survival—through trauma, betrayal, and the uncanny—toward self-knowledge and agency. Calley's relationships with her parents, brother, and the women who shape her life are complex and fraught, and her development is marked by a growing understanding of the ways in which the past shapes the present. Her psychological depth is revealed in her struggle to reconcile love and resentment, innocence and experience, and the desire for belonging with the need for independence.

Roberta Ann Carroll Dakin ("Mama")

Calley's mother is a study in contradictions: stunningly beautiful, socially ambitious, and emotionally damaged. Her pride in her Carroll heritage is matched only by her contempt for the Dakin side of the family. She is both victim and perpetrator—wounded by her own mother, Mamadee, and capable of wounding her children in turn. Her relationship with Calley is fraught with resentment, disappointment, and a desperate need for validation. As the novel progresses, Mama's beauty fades, her schemes unravel, and her bitterness deepens, but she remains a powerful force in Calley's life, both as a source of pain and as a model of survival.

Joe Cane Dakin ("Daddy")

Calley's father is the moral center of her childhood—a man of integrity, warmth, and practical wisdom. His murder is the novel's original trauma, the event that shatters the family and sets Calley on her journey. In memory and supernatural visitation, Daddy remains a guiding presence, his love and songs ("You Are My Sunshine") echoing through Calley's life. His death is both senseless and symbolic, a reminder of the world's capacity for cruelty and the fragility of goodness.

Ford Carroll Dakin

Calley's older brother is both rival and companion, shaped by the same traumas but responding with cynicism, cruelty, and a hunger for power. Favored by their mother and the Carroll side, Ford is quick to distance himself from the Dakin legacy and from Calley herself. His journey is one of alienation and eventual reconciliation, as he too must confront the costs of inheritance and the possibility of forgiveness. Ford's psychological complexity is revealed in his shifting loyalties, his capacity for both cruelty and tenderness, and his ultimate recognition of the ties that bind.

Mamadee (Deirdre Carroll)

Calley's grandmother is the embodiment of Southern pride, family legacy, and the destructive power of resentment. Her control over the family is both material and psychological, and her death—surrounded by suspicion and supernatural overtones—does not end her influence. As a ghost, Mamadee continues to haunt Calley, her voice a reminder of the ways in which the past refuses to die. Mamadee's psychological portrait is one of bitterness, disappointment, and the inability to love without wounding.

Merry Verlow

The proprietor of Merrymeeting, Merry Verlow is both sanctuary and jailer for Calley and her mother. She is a woman of hidden depths, with her own connections to the supernatural and the family's tangled history. Merry's motives are ambiguous—she is both nurturing and controlling, offering refuge but also demanding loyalty and obedience. Her psychological complexity is revealed in her relationships with her sister Fennie, her guests, and Calley herself, and in her role as both healer and poisoner.

Mrs. Mank (Isobel Dexter Mank)

Mrs. Mank is the novel's most enigmatic figure—a woman of power, wealth, and supernatural knowledge. She is revealed to be both Calley's great-aunt and the architect of much of the family's fate, including the creation of the "Circus" that binds the gifted and the cursed. Mrs. Mank's psychological portrait is one of ambition, jealousy, and a hunger for control, but also of loneliness and the desire for connection. Her relationship with Calley is both predatory and maternal, and her ultimate fate is a meditation on the costs of power and the possibility of redemption.

Judy DeLucca and Janice Hicks

The women who murder Calley's father are both agents of horror and objects of pity. Their motives are never fully explained, and their confessions are as opaque as their actions are brutal. They are symbols of the world's capacity for senseless violence, but also of the ways in which women, too, can be both perpetrators and victims. Their psychological portraits are sketched in trauma, madness, and the inscrutability of evil.

Cosima (Great-Grandmama)

Cosima is the matriarch whose legacy of supernatural talent and suffering shapes the family's fate. As a ghost, she is both guide and warning, offering Calley wisdom and comfort but also reminding her of the dangers of inheritance. Cosima's psychological portrait is one of strength, forgiveness, and the burden of knowledge—a woman who survives betrayal and loss, and whose influence endures beyond death.

Grady Driver

Grady is Calley's companion in adolescence—a boy marked by poverty, resilience, and a gentle spirit. Their relationship is one of mutual need and discovery, offering Calley a glimpse of love and normalcy amid chaos. Grady's fate—killed in Vietnam—serves as a reminder of the world's indifference to innocence and the costs of survival. His psychological portrait is one of loyalty, vulnerability, and the hope that, even in a broken world, connection is possible.

Plot Devices

Nonlinear Narrative and Memory

The novel's structure is nonlinear, moving back and forth in time as Calley reconstructs her past from memory, documents, and supernatural visitations. This fragmentation mirrors the psychological effects of trauma and the ways in which the past intrudes on the present. The use of memory as both plot device and theme allows the novel to explore the unreliability of perception, the persistence of unresolved grief, and the necessity of storytelling as a means of survival.

Supernatural Realism

The supernatural is woven seamlessly into the fabric of the novel, not as spectacle but as a lived reality. Ghosts speak, objects are imbued with power, and the past is always present. This device allows the novel to explore themes of inheritance, guilt, and the ways in which trauma is both personal and collective. The supernatural is both metaphor and literal force, shaping the characters' lives and destinies.

Symbolic Objects

Objects in the novel are never merely props—they are symbols of memory, inheritance, and the persistence of the past. The candlesticks, the footlocker, the egg locket, and especially the bird guide that "listens" are all imbued with meaning and power. These objects serve as conduits for supernatural communication, repositories of secrets, and catalysts for revelation. Their recurrence throughout the narrative ties together the novel's themes of loss, survival, and the search for meaning.

Generational Trauma and Inheritance

The novel is structured around the transmission of trauma, talent, and guilt across generations. The sins and sufferings of the past are visited on the present, and the characters are both victims and agents of this inheritance. The "Circus" is both literal and metaphorical—a network of power, exploitation, and survival that binds the family together and threatens to destroy them. The plot device of generational trauma allows the novel to explore the complexities of family, the costs of survival, and the possibility of breaking free.

Southern Gothic and Social Critique

The novel employs the tropes of Southern Gothic—decaying mansions, family secrets, grotesque characters, and a pervasive sense of doom—to critique the social and cultural structures that shape the characters' lives. Issues of class, race, gender, and power are explored through the lens of family drama and supernatural horror. The use of Southern Gothic as a plot device allows the novel to interrogate the myths of heritage, the costs of pride, and the ways in which the past refuses to die.

Analysis

Candles Burning is a masterful blend of Southern Gothic, psychological horror, and magical realism, using the story of one family's unraveling to explore universal themes of loss, survival, and the search for meaning. At its heart is Calley Dakin, a heroine whose journey from traumatized child to self-aware survivor is both harrowing and inspiring. The novel's nonlinear structure, supernatural elements, and symbolic objects create a rich tapestry of memory and myth, inviting readers to question the boundaries between the living and the dead, the past and the present, the personal and the collective. The book is a critique of the ways in which families—and societies—perpetuate trauma, but also a testament to the possibility of agency, forgiveness, and renewal. Its lessons are both timely and timeless: that the past must be faced, that survival comes at a cost, and that, even in a world haunted by loss, the hope of new life endures.

Last updated: September 26, 2025