Hadley

Hadley is one of the narrative's primary characters. Hadley grows up in a Mormon family in Utah. She lives with her parents and 11 siblings. When she is 16, she fails her genetic screening. Her parents assure her she can continue living with them, finding purpose in taking care of her younger brothers and siblings. Disinterested in this fate, Hadley sneaks out of the house while her family is asleep one night and buys a train ticket, eventually ending up in Omaha.

In Omaha, she gets a job as a waitress, and finds a small apartment. She eventually writes to her family to tell them where she is, but they never write back. Though she does everything in her power to stay sane, Hadley has trouble quelling her perpetual feelings of disappointment. She sometimes longs for a husband and children. More often she feels angry with all the people she...