Summary

“1962” described the abuse Cecilia received at Etta’s hand. Etta repeatedly forced Cecilia’s face under running water during a bath when she was five years old. Wet, cold, and soiled, Cecilia eventually fell asleep in the bathroom, telling Henry later that she had wet the bed. Over the years, Etta locked herself in the house, forcing Cecilia to roam town alone after school. Etta’s depressed and angry moods seemed to alter only with Henry’s presence.

In Chapter 10, Blythe struggled to care for Violet and calm her incessant crying in the week after her birth. Blythe began to believe that Violet might “hate” her (37). Because Violet was barely sleeping, Fox’s mother, Helen, hired a night nurse to help Blythe in Chapter 11. Blythe asked the nurse if she thought Violet was a good baby on her last night, but was not reassured...