How the Light Gets In

These first three chapters set up the three storylines of the novel: Audrey Villeneuve’s death (she is the body pulled from the water), Constance Pinault’s mysterious identity and friendships in Three Pines, and the internal conflict at Sûreté headquarters between Gamache and Francoeur.

In Chapters 2 and 3, Penny starkly contrasts the climate of Sûreté headquarters and the village of Three Pines. A the Sûreté, Francoeur is willing to undermine one of the most important and successful departments just to frustrate Gamache. While Gamache affirms the importance of their work, Francoeur’s leadership has made the young agents into cynical bullies. There is no sense of loyalty, even to each other. The new homicide agents are thrilled when they think that Gamache will tear into one of them, and Gamache “cut one from the pack” (15) to see if the other agents would defend him, but they don’t: “like a pack of hyenas, they backed off. Almost anxious to see him torn apart” (15). The Sûreté culture is now one that “[rewards] cruelty” (16). While Gamache could lash out at the young agent, his tactic is to get to the heart of the man. He asks about his background in the serious crimes division, trying to remind the agent of who he was before he became cynical. The mood at the Sûreté headquarters shows how cruelty and anger can build up over time, and that it is often much easier to be cruel than to be kind. While Gamache is resolved to do the right thing, Penny shows how weary he is becoming. When Lacoste looks into Gamache’s eyes she sees “the terrible deaths that had piled up, day and night, for years” (17). Gamache’s new assignment will take them both to Three Pines, where they will attempt to solve several mysteries at once.

In Three Pines, Constance Pinault is overcome by the warmth of the community, but as Constance gets to know people, she softens. She realizes that even Ruth’s gruff exterior is her way of bonding with others, and getting to know Olivier and Gabri changes her heart. This is partly because of their kindness: Olivier shovels out her car, Gabri trudges through the snow to bring hot coffee and croissants to neighbors, and neither asks for recognition. By contrast, Constance seems distant and impersonal, and Penny uses this characterization to foreshadow the reveal of Constance’s fraught past and relationship to fame and exposure. When Clara shares about her separation with an intimate group of friends, Constance thinks, “it was like parading around in her underwear” (9). Constance is a wounded and lonely person but does not want to share her history. When she meets Ruth, she remembers the line from her poem: “What hurt you once / so far beyond repair / that you would greet each overture / with curling lip?” (9). Constance is afraid that if she asked about it, Ruth would ask her that same question. Constance’s short time in Three Pines shows the power of kindness and community. As she leaves, she asks if she can come back for Christmas. In the short pause before Myrna answers, Constance assumes that she will be rebuffed. Of course, Myrna welcomes Constance. This gesture of acceptance drives Constance to open up. She is so private, that she thinks sharing how “We had our own team. Our father would coach us. Mama would cheer. It was Frère André’s favorite sport” (12) is a great admission. Myrna does not yet recognize the importance of that statement, which will become crucial to solving the mystery of Constance’s murder.