Marriages of Convenience

Devon Kensington McCallister and Billy McCallister's marriage is emblematic of the one percent: a union built on mutual benefit, not passion. Devon, a beautiful, well-bred art dealer from a fading dynasty, is pressured to save her family's name and fortune. Billy, a self-made, ruthless hedge fund king, seeks legitimacy and social ascent. Their relationship is transactional, with each using the other to fulfill personal ambitions. Theirs is a world where love is secondary to power, and every interaction is a negotiation. This sets the tone for a community where appearances matter more than reality, and everyone is playing a role.

The Art of Power

Devon's career in the art world is a microcosm of her life: selling beauty to the rich, leveraging her looks and connections, and navigating a world where money trumps all. Her first encounter with Billy is a battle of wills, each testing the other's boundaries. Their courtship is a dance of seduction and negotiation, culminating in a marriage that is as much a merger as a romance. The art world's superficiality mirrors the social circles of New Bethlehem, where everyone is vying for status, and secrets are currency.

New Bethlehem's Secrets

New Bethlehem is a picturesque Connecticut enclave, home to America's elite. Its history is one of prosperity, exclusivity, and carefully maintained facades. The town's beauty and order mask deep undercurrents of competition, envy, and hidden pain. Residents are obsessed with achievement, privacy, and reputation. The town's institutions—schools, clubs, churches—reinforce its insularity. Yet beneath the manicured lawns and stately homes, there are betrayals, addictions, and, occasionally, violence. The town's perfection is an illusion, and its residents are experts at hiding their flaws.

The Perfect Facade

Grace Hunter, the archetypal "perfect wife," embodies the town's ideals. Her marriage to Alex, a local sports legend, seems idyllic: beautiful children, a lovely home, and social standing. But beneath the surface, Grace is lonely, Alex is unfaithful, and their life is a performance. Grace's longing for genuine connection and fulfillment is thwarted by Alex's secrets and the relentless expectations of their world. Her story is a meditation on the gap between aspiration and reality, and the quiet desperation that can fester behind closed doors.

The Golden Boy's Fall

Alex Hunter, once "Alexander the Great," is a man haunted by his own legend. After a career in sports and finance, he loses his job but hides the truth from his family, spiraling into addiction, gambling, and deceit. His inability to live up to his own myth and the pressures of maintaining appearances drive him to desperate measures, including theft and betrayal. Alex's unraveling is both personal and symbolic—a warning about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the fragility of the American dream.

Best Friends, Best Lies

Devon and Belle, both privileged and restless, form a deep, conspiratorial bond. Their friendship is a safe haven in a world of judgment and competition. Together, they navigate the challenges of marriage, motherhood, and social expectation, sharing confidences and covering for each other's indiscretions. Their alliance is both empowering and dangerous, as it enables them to push boundaries and orchestrate events that will have far-reaching consequences. Their loyalty to each other is unshakeable, even as it leads them into morally ambiguous territory.

The Swinger's Invitation

Bored and seeking excitement, Devon and Belle hatch a plan to host a discreet swingers' party, carefully curating the guest list from among New Bethlehem's elite. The invitation is both a test and a temptation, exposing the cracks in marriages and the hunger for novelty beneath the town's decorum. The party is meticulously planned, with every detail—pairings, drugs, alibis—considered. For some, it's a chance to escape routine; for others, it's a threat to everything they've built. The event becomes a catalyst for revelations, betrayals, and, ultimately, tragedy.

The Night That Changed Everything

The party is a turning point. Couples are paired off, boundaries are crossed, and hidden desires come to the fore. For Devon and Alex, it's the start of a passionate affair. For others, it's a night of awkwardness, disappointment, or humiliation. The aftermath is a web of lies, blackmail, and shifting alliances. The party's consequences ripple through the community, exposing vulnerabilities and setting the stage for the novel's central crime. What was meant to be a night of pleasure becomes the beginning of the end for several characters.

Aftermath and Unraveling

In the wake of the party, relationships fracture. Alex and Devon's affair intensifies, while Grace and Teddy, both wounded by their spouses, find solace in each other. Billy, ever the predator, uses information and intimidation to control those around him, including blackmailing Katy, a teacher and coach, into sexual submission. The town's social fabric begins to unravel as secrets come to light, debts mount, and loyalties are tested. The veneer of civility is stripped away, revealing the raw, often ugly, motivations beneath.

The Murder in Paradise

Alex is found dead in his home, murdered in a manner both brutal and humiliating. The crime shatters the illusion of safety in New Bethlehem and sends shockwaves through the community. Suspicion falls on several characters—Charlie, the wronged coach; Billy, the vengeful husband; and others with motives and secrets. The investigation exposes the town's underbelly, as the police sift through alibis, surveillance footage, and the tangled web of relationships. The murder is both a literal and symbolic reckoning for a community built on denial.

The Investigation Tightens

Sergeant David Genovese, a decorated cop seeking a quieter life, leads the investigation. He faces immense pressure to solve the case, as the media descends and the town's elite demand answers. The inquiry is methodical, uncovering layers of deceit, financial crimes, and personal vendettas. Alibis are checked, suspects interrogated, and forensic evidence painstakingly analyzed. The process is as much about understanding the psychology of the town as it is about solving a crime. The investigation becomes a mirror, reflecting the community's collective guilt and complicity.

The Blame Game

As the investigation drags on, suspicion falls most heavily on Charlie, the coach, who is publicly shunned and privately devastated. The town's gossip machine goes into overdrive, with rumors and accusations flying. Other suspects—Billy, Belle, even Grace—are scrutinized, but airtight alibis and lack of evidence complicate the case. The search for a culprit becomes a way for the community to exorcise its own anxieties, projecting blame onto those who are vulnerable or different. The true killer remains hidden, protected by privilege and cunning.

Sisterhood and Survival

Behind the scenes, Devon and Ana, her loyal housekeeper and confidante, orchestrate a plan to free themselves from their abusers. Their bond, forged in shared suffering and mutual support, becomes the engine of justice. Using their knowledge of the men's routines and weaknesses, they set up both Alex and Billy, ensuring that the former is murdered and the latter is framed. Their actions are both a cry for liberation and a calculated act of vengeance. In a world where men wield power with impunity, the women seize control of their destinies.

The Fall of Kings

Billy's crimes—financial, sexual, and ultimately murderous—are exposed through a combination of forensic evidence and the unraveling of his carefully constructed alibis. He is arrested, tried, and sentenced, his empire and reputation destroyed. Devon, with the help of shrewd lawyers, secures a massive settlement and finally escapes his control. The old order of New Bethlehem—the kings and queens of finance, sport, and society—crumbles, replaced by uncertainty and the possibility of renewal. The town is forced to confront the cost of its silence and complicity.

Justice, Revenge, and Escape

Devon and Ana, now wealthy and free, relocate to Costa Rica, leaving behind the ghosts of New Bethlehem. Their victory is bittersweet, marked by loss but also by the promise of a new beginning. Other characters find their own forms of closure: Grace and Teddy, both survivors of betrayal, build a life together far from the town's toxic expectations; Belle and Charlie, exiled by scandal, find happiness abroad. The novel's women, once victims, become agents of their own stories, rewriting the rules of power and survival.

New Lives, New Beginnings

In the aftermath, New Bethlehem is forever changed. The survivors—those who have lost, those who have gained, and those who have simply endured—seek new lives and new identities. The town's myth of perfection is shattered, but in its place is a more honest reckoning with the messiness of human desire, ambition, and pain. The novel ends with a sense of hard-won hope: that even in a world built on secrets and lies, it is possible to break free, to heal, and to begin again.

Characters

Devon Kensington McCallister

Devon is the novel's central figure—a woman born into privilege but forced to become a player in a world where beauty and cunning are her only real assets. Her marriage to Billy is a means of survival, but also a prison. Devon's journey is one of awakening: from passive participant in her own life to active architect of her fate. Her friendship with Belle is her anchor, and her alliance with Ana is her salvation. Devon's psychological complexity lies in her ability to navigate a world that objectifies and limits her, ultimately turning the tools of her oppression into weapons of liberation.

Billy McCallister

Billy is a self-made hedge fund titan, driven by a need to prove himself and dominate others. Scarred by a harsh upbringing, he equates power with survival and views relationships as transactions. His brilliance is matched only by his cruelty; he is both a victim and perpetrator of abuse. Billy's inability to form genuine connections leads to his downfall, as his paranoia and need for control alienate everyone around him. His fate is a cautionary tale about the corrosive effects of unchecked ambition and the illusion of invulnerability.

Grace Hunter

Grace is the embodiment of the "perfect wife" ideal, but her life is marked by disappointment and betrayal. Raised to believe in love and family, she is repeatedly let down by Alex's infidelity and the town's superficiality. Grace's journey is one of painful self-discovery, as she learns to assert her own needs and desires. Her eventual relationship with Teddy is a testament to her capacity for forgiveness and hope. Grace's psychological depth comes from her struggle to reconcile her dreams with reality, and her ultimate decision to seek happiness on her own terms.

Alex Hunter

Alex is the town's golden boy—a former sports star whose charm masks deep insecurities and addictions. Unable to cope with the pressures of success and the expectations of others, he spirals into deceit, gambling, and self-sabotage. Alex's affair with Devon is both a grasp at redemption and a final act of desperation. His murder is the novel's central mystery, and his life is a study in the dangers of living for others' approval. Alex's psychological unraveling is both tragic and inevitable, a product of a culture that values image over substance.

Belle Hedges Moore

Belle is Devon's best friend and partner in mischief. A Texas oil heiress with a taste for excitement, she is both a product and a critic of her world. Belle's marriage to Teddy is affectionate but passionless, leading her to seek fulfillment elsewhere. Her affair with Charlie is a rebellion against the constraints of her class and gender. Belle's greatest strength is her loyalty—to Devon, to her family, and to herself. Her psychological complexity lies in her ability to balance risk and discretion, pleasure and responsibility.

Teddy Moore

Teddy is the consummate closer—a private equity partner who excels at work but struggles at home. His impotence is both a literal and metaphorical wound, symbolizing the limits of power and the costs of emotional repression. Teddy's journey is one of humility and growth, as he learns to accept vulnerability and seek genuine connection. His relationship with Grace is a second chance at happiness, built on mutual respect and shared pain. Teddy's psychological arc is about the search for meaning beyond achievement.

Charlie Dunlap

Charlie is a hockey coach with a big heart and a troubled past. His love of the game and zest for life make him a beloved figure among the town's youth, but his lack of sophistication and outsider status make him a convenient scapegoat. Charlie's affair with Belle is both a source of joy and a cause of his downfall. His public shunning and wrongful suspicion in Alex's murder highlight the town's capacity for cruelty. Charlie's psychological resilience is rooted in his authenticity and refusal to conform.

Ana

Ana is Devon's housekeeper and confidante, a Costa Rican immigrant who has survived violence and loss. Her friendship with Devon is a lifeline for both women, and her role in the plot's climax is pivotal. Ana's psychological strength comes from her ability to endure hardship and her willingness to take risks for those she loves. Her escape to Costa Rica is both a literal and symbolic act of liberation.

Katy Boyle

Katy is a math teacher and lacrosse coach whose past is marked by abuse and survival. Her entanglement with Billy, who blackmails and assaults her, is a harrowing subplot that underscores the novel's themes of power and vulnerability. Katy's resilience is tested repeatedly, but she ultimately finds love and stability with David, the detective. Her psychological journey is one of healing and self-acceptance.

David Genovese

David is the detective tasked with solving Alex's murder. A former NYPD hero seeking peace in New Bethlehem, he is drawn into the town's web of secrets and lies. David's integrity and empathy set him apart from the other characters, and his relationship with Katy offers a glimpse of hope and renewal. His psychological depth lies in his commitment to justice and his struggle to balance duty with compassion.

Plot Devices

Multiple Perspectives and Interwoven Narratives

The novel employs a rotating cast of narrators, each offering a unique perspective on the events and relationships at the heart of the story. This structure allows for a nuanced exploration of character psychology and social dynamics, as well as the gradual revelation of secrets. The interwoven narratives create suspense and ambiguity, keeping the reader guessing about motives and outcomes.

Social Satire and Irony

Frey uses sharp, often darkly comic, satire to critique the world of New Bethlehem. The rituals, competitions, and anxieties of the elite are depicted with both affection and scorn. Irony pervades the narrative, as characters who appear to have everything are revealed to be deeply unhappy or morally compromised. The novel's tone oscillates between empathy and mockery, highlighting the contradictions of its setting.

Foreshadowing and Red Herrings

The central murder mystery is constructed with careful foreshadowing and a series of red herrings. Early hints about characters' secrets and resentments set the stage for later revelations. The investigation is complicated by false leads, unreliable witnesses, and the town's penchant for gossip. The ultimate solution is both surprising and, in retrospect, inevitable.

Symbolism of Place and Object

Settings like Willowvale, the McCallister estate, and the town itself are more than backdrops—they are symbols of aspiration, decay, and entrapment. Artworks, jewelry, and even scotch glasses become clues and metaphors, representing the characters' desires, losses, and crimes. The physical environment reflects the psychological landscape of the novel.

Female Agency and Subversion

A key device is the alliance between Devon and Ana, who use their intelligence and resourcefulness to outmaneuver the men who have controlled and abused them. Their plot to frame Billy for Alex's murder is both a subversion of genre expectations and a commentary on the limits of traditional justice. The novel ultimately centers female agency as a force for both survival and transformation.

Analysis

Next to Heaven is a razor-sharp dissection of privilege, power, and the rot beneath the American dream. Through the lens of a murder mystery set in an elite Connecticut town, James Frey exposes the emptiness of wealth, the corrosive effects of ambition, and the ways in which women are forced to navigate—and ultimately subvert—a world built to contain them. The novel's structure, with its shifting perspectives and interlocking plotlines, mirrors the complexity of its themes: the masks we wear, the bargains we strike, and the costs of both complicity and rebellion. At its core, the book is a meditation on survival—how people adapt, endure, and sometimes break free from the systems that oppress them. Frey's biting wit and unflinching honesty make for a compulsively readable, deeply unsettling portrait of contemporary America, where the pursuit of perfection leads not to heaven, but to a reckoning with our own humanity.

Last updated: July 28, 2025