Summary

In Chapter 9, Anna and Agnes took Lydia to a check-up with her doctor, Dr. Deerwood, in Manhattan. The doctor told Anna that Lydia “was following a course that is natural to her,” and that “what we might consider ‘better’ or ‘worse’ does not apply to your sister in quite the same way” (109). Anna asked if it would be possible to take Lydia outside sometimes, maybe even to the beach, and although Anna’s mother resisted the idea, the doctor said that it would be good for Lydia’s health. After they left the doctor’s office, Anna began asking about her father, and Agnes reminded her that Eddie had left his affairs in perfect order and therefore must have planned to disappear. In a flashback, we learn that Anna had a prolonged sexual relationship with a boy from her neighborhood when she was...