Verity

Verity (2018) is a romance thriller by Colleen Hoover. The story follows the journey of writer Lowen Ashleigh as she travels to Vermont to work as the new cowriter for a popular series of books written by the renowned Verity Crawford. Hoover is a prolific author with numerous novels hitting the New York Times Best Seller list, including November 9 (2015), It Ends with Us (2016), Without Merit (2017), and Verity. Of Hoover many works, Verity is notable for delving into the thriller and suspense genre. The dual perspectives—the novel transitions between Verity and Lowen's first-person points of view—contribute to this tension as the novel explores themes like The Writer as Creator and Destroy and Violence as a Release, as well as The Impact of Trauma and the way Trauma Twists Truth.

Plot Summary

The story opens in New York City as Lowen Ashleigh heads to a meeting with her literary agent and former lover, Corey. On the way, Lowen witnesses a man die in a bloody hit-and-run accident. A handsome stranger named Jeremy Crawford stops to help her. They bond over their recent personal experiences with grief: Lowen recently lost her mother to cancer, and Jeremy lost both his twin daughters within six months of each other. Though Lowen immediately feels connected to Jeremy, she takes note of a wedding ring on his finger.

Lowen and Jeremy separate but soon discover they are headed to the same meeting at Pantem Press. Jeremy is married to Verity Crawford, a best-selling author whose popular Noble Virtues series remains unfinished. With Verity unable to finish the series due to a car accident, Lowen is asked to complete the final three books for a substantial payment. Facing eviction, Lowen accepts the deal, which requires traveling to Vermont to gather notes from Verity’s office. Corey warns her to be careful given the suspicious nature of Verity’s car accident, which has left her immobilized.

Lowen arrives in Vermont, where meets the sole surviving Crawford child: Crew, a five-year-old boy. Uneasy, Lowen attempts to settle in and begin work. She soon discovers a manuscript titled So Be It. She assumes it to be Verity’s autobiography, but is in fact a writing exercise in which Verity explores violent impulses to develop her understanding of characters. The autobiography details Verity and Jeremy’s first meeting and their active sex life. As Lowen reads, she catches Verity staring at her and grows increasingly more threatened by her presence.

The manuscript describes Verity giving birth to the twins Harper and Chastin and neglecting them during the day while Jeremy was at work. Disturbed by its contents, Lowen suspects Verity played a role in the deaths of her twin daughters. Meanwhile, Lowen and Jeremy’s relationship turns an intimate turn, and they almost kiss.

Lowen confides in Jeremy about a traumatic experience when she 10 that resulted in her mother’s neglect of her and a two-week psychiatric evaluation. Jeremy comforts Lowen. To ease her mind, Jeremy places a lock on the outside of her bedroom door.

Lowen continues reading the manuscript, which goes on to detail Verity dreaming about Harper killing Chastin. This led Verity to attempt to kill Harper by forcing her to swallow her own vomit, though Jeremy stopped her before she succeeded. Verity then got pregnant with Crew to appease Jeremy, who believed Verity was not treating Harper fairly.

On the eve of her 32nd birthday, Lowen unwinds with Jeremy, and they begin having sex—only to stop when Lowen realizes Verity is watching them. Jeremy, who doesn't believe what Lowen saw, goes to check on Verity and finds her asleep in her bed. Still, he puts a lock on her bedroom door.

Unsettled, Lowen debates telling Jeremy about the manuscript. She decides to finish the autobiography and then determine whether to share it Jeremy. As she keeps reading, she learns that Chastin died of an allergic reaction at a sleepover. Verity became convinced Harper played a role in her sister's death.

On her birthday, Lowen is briefly left alone with Verity, whom she confronts. Verity does not move. Later that evening, Lowen suggests Jeremy place Verity in a nursing facility to ease the burden of caring for her. Jeremy dismisses her concerns and then confesses his feelings. The two have sex and then fall asleep together. When they wake, they discover the door was locked from the outside; Jeremy breaks through a window to unlock the door and search for Verity and Crew, who are both asleep.

Determined to finish the manuscript, Lowen return to the manuscript. She about Harper drowning in the lake: Verity intentionally capsized the canoe and did not attempt to rescue Harper.

The next day, Jeremy informs Lowen that Verity will be moving to a nursing facility on Monday. He asks Lowen to stay for another week, and she agrees. They have unprotected sex.

Later, while alone in the kitchen with Crew, Lowen asks the boy about the Harper’s death. When Crew accidentally cuts himself with a knife, Jeremy must take him to get stitches, which leaves Lowen alone with Verity. Lowen places a baby monitor in Verity’s room and locks the door. She watches the monitor and reads the last chapter of the manuscript; it ends with Jeremy questioning Verity’s involvement in Harper’s death, which prompts Verity to consider death by suicide.

Jeremy returns. On the baby monitor, Lowen catches Verity on the floor of her bedroom. She runs upstairs to confront Verity once again. Jeremy grabs Lowen and demands she leave. Lowen finally gives the manuscript to Jeremy and asks him to read it. Jeremy confronts Verity and threatens to call the police. Her begins to choke her, but Lowen stops him, suggesting that he kill Verity the same way she tried to kill Harper as a baby. Jeremy forces Verity to choke on her own vomit. Lowen and Jeremy vow never to speak about what happened.

Seven months after Verity’s death, Jeremy, Crew, and Lowen (who is pregnant) arrive back in Vermont. Lowen discovers a letter from Verity to Jeremy detailing how Verity’s manuscript was a writing exercise called antagonistic journaling to help Verity get in the mind of her villainous characters. Verity reveals how Jeremy discovered the manuscript in the days after Harper’s death and then staged a car accident in an attempt to kill her. Verity admits to staring at Lowen, locking her in her room, and planning to run away with Crew. Lowen decides to destroy the letter to preserve Jeremy’s peace. She vows to carry the secret to her grave.