The Family Game

Harriet’s reward for winning the Krampus game is a diamond bracelet. She also receives a lump of coal in her shoes.

When Harriet and Edward return home, they have the biggest argument of their relationship. Edward explains that nothing bad ever happens in the Krampus game; the children who get caught by the Krampus get ice cream, and moreover, Harriet won the game in record time. He says the point is not to tell her anything about the game because it’s supposed to test teamwork. Harriet is not comforted by Edward’s explanations.

Edward and Harriet go to a doctor’s appointment to get a sonogram. Harriet hears her baby’s heartbeat and, in the narrative structure of the novel, she refers to the reader as “you,” which is also a way of speaking to her unborn child.

Edward packs for a business trip to Hong Kong. His absence will give Harriet enough time to listen to the rest of Robert’s tape-recording, meet Samantha, and decide what she wants to do about Edward’s family.

Harriet meets with Samantha. Samantha is, at first, dodgy and nervous. She explains that she signed an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so she can’t say much about the Holbecks.