Addiction and Recovery

The author uses the theme of addiction and recovery to demonstrate how second chances can be realized, even when all seems hopeless.

At the outset of the novel, the narrator Mallory is clear about having been to rehab for drug addiction. While Mallory does not give context for her addiction until much later in the novel, Mallory is not trying to hide anything. When Mallory explains the research study, Mallory knows she has the memory of it. However, she does not trust that it happened because “one of the hardest things about recovery is coming to terms with the fact that you can’t trust your brain anymore” (5).

For Mallory, getting the job as Teddy’s nanny is an opportunity to prove that she can stay clean and care for a child. As the reader learns later, Mallory holds some responsibility for the death...