58 pages 1 hour read

Jodi Picoult

Vanishing Acts

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2005

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Parts 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 8, Pages 413-459 Summary: “Delia”

Delia returns home to find Eric already awake. They do not discuss where she was. The trial begins with Elise as the first witness. Her testimony gains some sympathy, but Eric clearly outlines instances of neglect in his interrogation. Elise offers Delia a mojo bag; Delia follows Elise’s instructions to help Andrew. The former detective in Delia’s case indicates that Andrew planned Delia’s kidnapping. The next witness, the man who sold Andrew the fake identity, adds to the prosecutor’s argument.

Exhausted, Delia falls asleep when she and Sophie return to the trailer. When she wakes, Sophie is gone. Despite the police’s instructions to stay put, Delia takes Greta to find Sophie. They find Sophie shortly after Eric and the police do, getting ice cream with Victor. They left a note before leaving, but Delia did not see it.

The next day, Delia takes the strand. The prosecutor asks several questions about Delia’s relationship with Sophie and some of Delia’s memories of her mother return. The prosecutor asks Delia about her work, forcing Delia to admit that she sometimes returns people even when she knows she should not. Under Eric’s interrogation, Delia explains that they remain unmarried because of Eric’s struggles with alcohol addiction and how it has affected their relationship.