The House in the Pines

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of drug/alcohol addiction and psychological abuse.

In the present, Maya realizes how much Frank gaslit and manipulated her: “Maya cried for the version of herself so willing to question her own experience” (241). However, she still isn’t sure how Frank manipulated her memory.

Dan finally calls Maya; he believes that Maya has been hiding things from him. Maya can’t find the words yet to explain about Frank, so she confesses about her Klonopin withdrawal instead. Maya also took four shots of gin before Dan called and Dan can tell. Between the Klonopin and Maya’s overuse of alcohol, Dan suggests Maya join Alcoholics Anonymous and Maya reluctantly agrees.

Maya spends the rest of the night trying to figure out what exactly Frank did to her memory. She researches Frank’s father and discovers he was a CHT—a certified hypnotherapist. His method is still practiced by a “Dr. Hart” at a place called Clear Horizons Wellness Center. Though there is no information about Dr. Hart, it seems likely that this doctor is Frank, which would explain the clients Steven mentioned in Chapter 27.

While she researches, her brain struggles to process the word hypnosis: “Her eyes didn’t seem to grasp it, like the letters kept slipping out from beneath her vision.