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Sandy is one of the Conroys’ longtime household employees. Elna originally hires her as the Dutch House’s housekeeper, and when Sandy tells her that her sister, Jocelyn, also needs work, Elna hires Jocelyn on as the house’s cook. Sandy is extremely loyal to Danny and Maeve, providing them supplemental care when Elna leaves, and Cyril grows more and more consumed by his work. She is warm and perceptive, understanding Andrea’s selfish nature early on and quietly supporting the Conroy children as Andrea tightens her control over the household. After Cyril’s death, Andrea dismisses both Sandy and Jocelyn from the Dutch House, solidifying their resentment toward her. She keeps in touch with Maeve throughout the years, maintaining a familial bond with the Conroy children long after they have been cast out of their home. When Elna returns after Maeve’s heart attack, Sandy encourages Danny to give his mother grace, claiming that she is a “saint.”
Sandy Quotes in The Dutch House
The The Dutch House quotes below are all either spoken by Sandy or refer to Sandy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 6 Quotes
The truth was we had come this far and had never given Andrea a thought. Our cruelty became the story: not our father’s death but how we had excluded her from it.
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Chapter 16 Quotes
“You went to India to get away from the house?” Of course it wasn’t just the house or the husband. There were the two children sleeping on the second floor who went unmentioned.
My mother’s pale eyes were clouded by cataracts and I wondered how much she could see. “What else could it have been?”
“I guess I just assumed it was Dad.”
“I loved your father,” she said. The words were right there. She didn’t have to reach for them at all. I loved your father.
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Sandy Character Timeline in The Dutch House
The timeline below shows where the character Sandy appears in The Dutch House. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
When eight-year-old Danny and his 15-year-old sister, Maeve, learn from their housekeeper, Sandy, that their father (Cyril Conroy) is expecting a guest, they’re surprised—he rarely invites anyone to...
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Chapter 2
...motherly role, and he regrets that no one gave her the same kind of care. Sandy and Jocelyn, their cook, did what they could, but in the end, they weren’t family....
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Chapter 3
On Sunday nights, when Sandy and Jocelyn are off work, Danny, Maeve, and Mr. Conroy eat a pre-prepared dinner together...
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Chapter 4
...the first months after Andrea moves into the Dutch House, with Maeve away at Barnard, Sandy and Jocelyn try to help Danny feel less lonely. One day, while reminiscing about Maeve,...
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Before Andrea moved into the Dutch House, Sandy and Jocelyn effortlessly handled everything the Conroy family could need, their longstanding operation smooth and...
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Chapter 6
...and Maeve return to the Dutch House, they go straight to the kitchen to tell Sandy and Jocelyn about Mr. Conroy. The four of them huddle together, grieving. Just as Danny...
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...spins the story, Norma and Bright will eventually resent her for kicking them out. As Sandy and Jocelyn help pack Danny’s things, Andrea fires them, claiming the four—Danny, Maeve, Sandy, and...
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Chapter 7
...Their father left behind no will. After two weeks settling into Maeve’s apartment, they invite Sandy and Jocelyn over. It’s a happy reunion, but it’s also sobering—Jocelyn reminds Danny that he...
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Chapter 11
...but remains in the city because of the three buildings he owns there. One day, Sandy calls to tell him that Maeve is in the hospital. He immediately takes the train...
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...day she was fired, Fluffy had cried in the driveway with nowhere to go until Sandy appeared and brought Fluffy home with her. Sandy’s husband eventually found her a job as...
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Chapter 16
...He and Maeve had spent dinner with Celeste’s family and were on their way to Sandy’s. As always, they stopped to park in front of the Dutch House, each smoking their...
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Chapter 20
...part of him superstitiously believes Maeve died because Elna abandoned her again—as a child, Cyril, Sandy, and Jocelyn had warned that Elna’s absence jeopardized Maeve’s health. He never learns the exact...
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...is still angry with Elna for moving there after Maeve’s death to care for Andrea. Sandy answers the door—she started coming by after Jocelyn died two years earlier. She tells Danny...
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