# Macro-Revision Diagnostics - Draft 0

id: macro_revision_diagnostics | owner: codex | tier: book
date: 2026-07-05

## COLD-READ LOG

- Ch08->Ch09 - drift/quiet join - "Philadelphia had a set of keys on Tasker Street. Neither one was nothing." The material-work thread enters by contrast rather than immediate adjacent causality. Revision class: expansion candidate only.
- Ch10->Ch11 - repeated emotional value risk - `"it's all maintenance"` then forms/access pressure. Both chapters test usefulness/categories from different angles; the join is quiet but not redundant.
- Ch15 - early exposition / dense terms - `Vandercook. W-2. Keys. After 8... FRI DEC 4 NOON.` The offer terms are dense, but they are the scene engine and pay off in Ch20/22.
- Ch24 - pacing / many payoffs - `You didn't start this together`; `Park, J. - Brennan, T. Last slot`; "I'm not carrying anything." Three major payoffs land in one chapter. If cold readers skim or feel checklist pressure, expand consequence space rather than polish lines.

## REVERSE OUTLINE

Imported and verified from `output/critiques/codex/book.reverse_outline.md`. No NO-CHANGE chapter found. Weakest links: Ch08->09, Ch10->11, Ch15->16. No AND-THEN breaks.

## PROMISE/PAYOFF MAP

- fake relationship access - planted Ch01 `"The last spot. You two"` - FULFILLED Ch24 `"You didn't start this together"` at partial public scale.
- Odile knew from night one - planted Ch01/02 by exact class manipulation - FULFILLED Ch24 `Park, J. - Brennan, T. Last slot.`
- Theo hidden nephew identity - planted Ch02/14 catalog/gallery access - FULFILLED Ch17 `"Odile's my aunt"`; public secrecy deliberately preserved.
- June's stay decision - planted Ch01 lease and Ch09 Tasker/Dana/Kessler alternatives - FULFILLED Ch20/22 `"I'm staying, Theo. It isn't for you."`
- Theo's own art - planted Ch10 blank station / maintenance - FULFILLED Ch21 faced-to-wall finished study and Ch23 Tuesday mornings.
- joint piece / `After Class` - planted Ch12/13 - FULFILLED Ch23/24 `Two underpaintings...`
- Ruth/Sam privacy/access - planted Ch04/06/11 - FULFILLED Ch20 catalog route and Ch24 private read.
- Mara scarf / blue dish - planted Ch03/18 - FULFILLED Ch24 dish in room traffic.
- Priya/Ben Suffolk - planted Ch06/11 - FULFILLED Ch23 approved-but-pass / April condition.

No DROPPED promise found. Intentional open futures: Dana/Kessler payment/key dates, Asha's Tasker path, Theo's January Tuesdays, June's custody of Odile's torn page, possible future facing-right portrait.

## CHARACTER-ARC AUDIT

- June chooses class / city / art - PREPARED. Ch01 lease and `Winter Kitchen`; Ch09 material alternatives; Ch20 Tasker refusal; Ch24 final train. Not imposed.
- Theo changes usefulness into restraint/own work - PREPARED. Ch10 maintenance wound; Ch16 fear canvas; Ch21 study; Ch24 no-carrying. Not imposed.
- Odile moves from authority to accountable manipulator - PREPARED. Ch01/02 exact setup; Ch21 partial; Ch24 proof. Not imposed, but exact proof object could use a minor earlier texture seed.
- Ruth/Sam move suspicion into care - PREPARED. Ch04/06 suspicion; Ch11 forms; Ch20 catalog route; Ch24 privacy line.
- Priya/Ben move rent math into readiness - PREPARED. Ch06/11 application pressure; Ch23 April condition.

No IMPOSED-FOR-CONVENIENCE major turn found.

## PACING MAP

Approximate proportions by chapter type:

- Ch01-04: scene 80%, exposition 10%, reflection 10%, transit 0-5%. Opening/social setup moves quickly.
- Ch05-08: scene 75%, reflection 15%, object/action 10%. Week 2/3 attention and hidden-study aftermath.
- Ch09: scene 60%, exposition/logistics 25%, reflection 15%. Material alternatives enter; dense but necessary.
- Ch10-13: scene 80%, reflection 10%, exposition 10%. Assignments carry escalation.
- Ch14-15: scene 55%, logistics/exposition 30%, reflection 15%. Catalogs/offer terms create a denser bridge.
- Ch16-17: scene 85%, reflection 10%, transit 5%. Fear/rupture peak.
- Ch18: scene/action montage 55%, reflection 30%, logistics 15%. Intentional aftermath labor.
- Ch19-21: scene 75%, object/action 20%, reflection 5%. Public absence, choice aftermath, Odile partial.
- Ch22: scene 90%, reflection 10%. Private confession holds as single sustained pressure scene.
- Ch23: scene/process 80%, logistics 15%, reflection 5%. Work session and setup payoff.
- Ch24: scene 75%, payoff/reveal 20%, transit 5%. Dense coda; potential expansion candidate if cold readers feel compression.

Pathological pacing clusters: none proven. Dense clusters are purposeful but require cold-read confirmation: Ch14-15 logistics and Ch24 coda.

## Macro Operations Considered

- DELETE: no beloved chapter delays the real beginning; Ch01 begins with the premise object and disturbance.
- MOVE: no revelation obviously starves the book. Odile's exact proof might accept a tiny seed earlier, not a moved reveal.
- COLLAPSE: no minor antagonist/faction redundancy; ensemble subplots refract the central category problem.
- REDISTRIBUTE: possible minor redistribution of `Winter Kitchen` title repetitions and final proof texture, but this is line/seed work.
- REBUILD: not required by Codex structural read. Conditional only if Claude cold read finds Ch24 compression or under-target scope substantially damages satisfaction.

## Verdict

STRUCTURALLY-SOUND as Draft 0, with checkpoint caveat.

No DROPPED promises, no IMPOSED major turns, no NO-CHANGE scenes, and no pathological pacing cluster found by Codex. This does not justify final assembly because:

1. The manuscript is 61,000 words against a 75,000-88,000 target band.
2. Claude full-book cold read and other book-tier audits are still pending.
3. Motif audit found line-level over-cap issues that should wait until structural decisions settle.

Revision queue pending cold read:
- optional seed/texture: opening-night binder/list proof before Ch24.
- possible expansion: Ch24 consequence space if readers feel coda compression.
- later line pass: reduce `Winter Kitchen` repetitions and late hand-density.
