God of Malice

An air of mystery throughout God of Malice makes characters and readers alike question what is real and what isn’t. On Brighton Island, people and organizations construct facades to conceal ugly truths, leading to deceptive appearances. Glyndon’s initial description of the universities on Brighton Island shows how pervasive this issue is. Students from both universities are taught to avoid one another, and rumors about the secret societies circulate and create fear throughout the campuses. The King’s U secret societies are implicitly a front for the mafia and are somehow involved in deciding who will come to power in the mob, though the lack of certainty about this creates further mysteries. At the Heathens’ initiation, both those being initiated and those in the club must wear masks to hide their true identities. Similarly, the Serpents wear masks even among themselves, and the Elites operate out of secret underground locations to hide their business. The full truth behind these clubs’ operations and purpose on campus is never revealed, yet their attempts to conceal themselves reveal the secrecy required of their dealings.

As with the theme of Power and Control, the workings of the Brighton Island universities at large symbolize the issues with which Glyndon and Killian grapple in their relationship. Glyndon knows early on that Killian hides his true self from the world and only acts as the likable person others assume he is, but she’s surprised to learn that she’s the only one he feels okay being himself with. While Killian thinks this is the only way to get by, especially for people like him, Glyndon favors knowing the full truth at all times. Ironically, when Killian does tell her the truth about why he’s interested in her, Glyndon is hurt, and Killian tells her “I could’ve lied to you, but I didn’t […] Do you want me to lie to you? Do you want me to wear a mask around you, pretend to be someone who’ll be accepted by your pretty little morals, is that it, Glyndon?” (267). Conversely, Killian often accuses Glyndon of hiding the truth about herself from him, especially in their sexual relationship. During Glyndon’s supposed nightmare in Chapter 13, Killian tells her:

Deep down, you like this, don’t you? You want to be forced to lose control. That way, you’d be comforted by the fact that you didn’t agree to this. It’s your mind’s way of assuming you’re not the twisted one who actually fantasizes about this (132).

Glyndon admits that this is truthful as she thinks, “How the hell does he know about those fantasies? I didn’t even talk about them to my closest friends” (132). This reflection shows how she’s hiding things from Killian that he’s attempting to force out of her. As with their definitions of love, Killian and Glyndon don’t necessarily agree on how they should act for others by the end of the novel, yet they have learned to become completely truthful with one another.