God of Malice

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-10

Chapters 11-18

Chapters 19-26

Chapters 27-33

Chapter 34-Epilogue 2

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Sex and Sexual Assault

Content Warning: This section features discussions of sexual violence and harassment, rape, ableism, mental illness, death by suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm, animal cruelty and death, substance use, addiction, graphic violence, sexual content, cursing, illness and death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

Sex and acts of sexual violence occur frequently in God of Malice, symbolizing larger struggles for power and control. Kilian sexually assaults Glyndon in the first scene, and this event catalyzes the plot. Glyndon quickly realizes that this is a power play, and Killian enjoys having control over her more than anything else at that moment. He continues to prey upon her, but throughout the book, the idea of consent becomes murkier. Killian insists that Glyndon wanted him to assault her that night, telling her, “I felt something from you or I wouldn’t have continued” (247), despite telling her elsewhere he likely wouldn’t have stopped the assault regardless. In later chapters, his obsession with her virginity is another telling sign of his outlook on sex. In trying to “take” Glyndon’s virginity, Killian is attempting to have more power over her and her body.

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Even once their sex becomes somewhat more consensual, he still uses it to overpower her and try to wrest all control from her. He tries to get her to admit that she belongs to him when they’re having sex. Glyndon admits to Killian, “I don’t want to lose myself,” and when he suggests that she won’t, Glyndon asks, “How would I know? You’re getting your way with me” (289). This exchange shows how he isn’t letting her take any control of the situation. However, at certain times, Glyndon enjoys giving up control, especially during sex. She describes it as a kind of freedom, calling it “the type where I have to be held down and made helpless to be able to come, but it’s freedom all the same” (293). All sexual acts in the novel are symbolic shows of power, submission, and dominance, yet sex and sexual assault symbolize the question of whether one gains anything by giving up control.

Violence

Another prominent symbol in the novel is violence, not only as it overlaps with sex and sexual assault. Like the other symbols, violence represents control and power. Groups like the Elites, Heathens, and Serpents use violence against one another and their fellow students to exhibit power over others, mimicking the way the mafia often exerts control. The underground fight club that Glyndon attends early in the novel exemplifies how the secret societies use smaller acts of violence to keep their hatred for one another in check. On a smaller scale, Killian does the same thing. Though he yearns to kill another human being, he commits smaller acts of violence to help satisfy his urges. However, Killian also tries to satiate these urges through the Heathens’ initiations, designing challenges that will allow him to enact violence against others without penalty.

Ultimately, the novel’s plot hinges on violence, as it’s what Devlin wants and what sets his plans for Glyndon in motion. Devlin asks Glyndon, “What’s so fun about powerful secret societies if they’re not constantly at war?” (406), because he ultimately wants both the Heathens and the Elites to kill one another so that only the Serpents are left in control. Extreme violence is used against the Serpents for revenge after Glyndon is beaten—another grab at control from Devlin. Killian’s plan to torture Devlin rather than kill him shows how he’ll ultimately exert even more control over him through violence.

Art

A symbol with many purposes in God of Malice, art is most often used to show characters’ true nature. As an artist, Glyndon uses painting as an emotional outlet, despite her complex feelings about being from a family of renowned artists. After Killian assaults her, she lets her emotions out on the canvas but is afraid to show her painting to others because she thinks it will reveal her darker side. Similarly, Killian takes pictures throughout the novel and is constantly in search of his masterpiece. The gruesome photos he takes focus on his obsession with cruelty and wanting to know what lies beneath human skin. As he gets closer to Glyndon, Killian begins to show her his photo collection, which has become centered around pictures of her. Once Glyndon becomes more sure of herself, she shares her painting with her family, now unafraid of showing them the emotions she was hiding from everyone else. In this way, the art they make reveals Glyndon and Killian’s true psyches.