Summary

Sitting in her garden with her daughter Ruth's dolls, Claire tries again to tell this story. It begins some time in Ruth’s “first year” (1). It also begins when she realizes her "inability to feel feelings" or when her husband, Theo, notices her taking a quiz about postpartum depression (1).

In "Ten-Item Edinburgh Post-Natal Depression Scale," Claire tries completing the questionnaire. There are questions about laughter, anticipation, and feeling "scared or panicky for no good reason" (7). The questions make Claire remember the early days with Ruth. By the end of the questionnaire, Claire sees that things "have been too much" for her since the baby's birth (11).

In "Vagina Dentata," when Theo takes Ruth "to her first Christmas Mass," Claire stays home to read and masturbate (13). While touching herself, she finds a node in her vagina. Her online research tells her it could be a...