The Last Mrs. Parrish

Amber takes a train from her home in Bishops Harbor to New York City. She window-shops and goes to the New York Public Library, where she meditates before walking to Central Park and eating a small lunch. She goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and looks at the paintings she has studied since her last visit. Amber has spent her free time educating herself on topics of interest to the rich to draw the attention of Jackson Parrish, Daphne’s husband.

Amber arrives at the Parrish’s multimillion-dollar lakeside home. She has dressed to appear mousy and unassuming, seeking to gain Daphne’s trust. Daphne invites her inside and asks her about herself. Amber repeats a lie about being from Nebraska and having moved to Connecticut after her sister’s death. Daphne talks about her sister and her children before going to greet the other committee women. Of the group, Bunny and Meredith are the only two who stand out to Amber. Bunny attends the same gym as Amber and cheats on her husband, while Meredith is distant and interrogates her.

Amber drinks wine and thinks about the research she has done on the Parrish family, having selected Jackson Parrish as her target long ago. Then she looks up Meredith and Bunny, seeking material for potential blackmail. Finally, she logs onto a fake Facebook profile and snoops on people from her past, finding something that angers her.

Amber pretends it is the anniversary of her sister’s death to evoke Daphne’s sympathy, and daphne invites her over for wine. Amber makes up stories about her sister to earn Daphne’s trust. Amber fakes drunkenness and Daphne invites her to stay the night in a guest room. Amber asks Daphne to stay with her until she falls asleep.

Amber works at a real estate company. She taught herself the ins and outs of the business, impressing her boss until they began working together. Amber thinks poorly of Jenna, the receptionist. That night, Amber looks at her dingy apartment before refreshing the details of the story she has constructed about herself.

Amber runs into Daphne and her girls at the library. When Daphne says the next day is Julie’s birthday, Amber announces it is her sister’s birthday as well, and the women decide to celebrate by going to lunch at a country club the next day. Later, Jenna mentions to Amber that Daphne and her mother had looked into buying a house, but nothing came of it. Amber encourages Jenna to invite her friend who nannied for the Parrishes to dinner. At the country club, Amber is awed and enraged by the luxury some people enjoy. She and Daphne exchange stories. Daphne invites Amber for dinner on Friday, and Amber feels as if she is making progress with her plan.

Amber spies on Bunny and finds the time and place of her next extramarital date. Amber takes pictures of Bunny and her lover, intending to send them to Bunny’s husband and force her to resign as co-chair of Daphne’s fundraiser.

Amber goes to the Parrish house for dinner and is disappointed to hear that Jackson will not be joining them. Bella, Daphne’s youngest daughter, throws a fit when Tallulah, the older daughter, will not read to her. Bella then calls Amber ugly, leading Daphne to send the girls to eat in the kitchen. After dinner, Amber admires their sunroom. She spills coffee, leading Daphne into a mild panic as she cleans the stain. Amber excuses herself and stops at the library to pick up a copy of The Odyssey, a book Daphne said she was reading with Jackson.

At the next committee meeting, Amber arrives early and learns that Bunny has stepped down as co-chair to attend to a family emergency. Amber offers to take her place, pretending to have experience with auctions. When the meeting begins, Meredith expresses her displeasure at Amber’s new position, but Daphne comes to Amber’s defense. Later, when they take a group picture, Amber excuses herself by saying the other women’s accomplishments should be featured. In reality, she does not want photographic evidence of herself.

At work, Jenna invites Amber to dinner with her friend Sally. The three meet at a local restaurant, and Amber plies the women with wine to encourage gossip. She asks Sally about her nannying experience and, eventually, Sally admits that Daphne was briefly institutionalized after Tallulah’s birth. Rumors spread that Daphne was a danger to the baby. Sally also discloses that Daphne’s mother seemed very uncomfortable with how rich and orderly Daphne’s life was. After dinner, Amber looks up Daphne’s mother and finds her bed and breakfast. Then she looks at someone’s Facebook profile and is pleased that he is “looking older and fatter” (63).

Amber joins Daphne and her daughters on a trip to New York City. When Bella continues to insult Amber, Amber is outwardly kind but inwardly expresses her hate for the child. Daphne gets them past long lines at a brunch restaurant, and Amber again reminisces about her fake sister. Amber offers to take Tallulah to Barnes & Nobel while Daphne takes Bella to the American Girl store. Amber receives news about someone getting pregnant via Facebook and is furious. Daphne arrives and states that Jackson will be joining them for dinner. She insists that Amber remain with them rather than go home.

Amber is immediately attracted to Jackson but worried when she sees his devotion to Daphne. Bella is rude to the adults, causing a moment of tension as the girls wait for Jackson’s reaction. When he laughs, the tension passes. He invites them to see a show and stay the night at the Plaza Hotel, giving Amber another taste of luxury as they ride in a limo and stay in the Penthouse Suite. The next morning, Bella is upset that Amber stayed the night, but Amber lies about loving the Eloise books (set the hotel) as a child, and the two bond. With Bella’s affection won, Amber sets her sights on Jackson.