In a narrative flash-forward, Debra eventually told Stefan the story of her traumatic freshman year. In October 1968, she attended a women’s college in Boston while her family remained in Singapore. Disappointed by the city and her classmates, she felt isolated. A few months into the semester, a student named Xavier forced his way into her dorm room and raped her. The next day, after Xavier spread his version of events, her Resident Advisor and friends believed the rape was consensual sex and responded disapprovingly. Debra began hiding in her room, suffering severe homesickness.

One night, Debra learned that her father had died in Singapore. She was initially told it was a heart attack, but later discovered she had learned he had come home drunk, and her mother had found him dead in a storm ditch. When the life insurance company refused to pay due to his mental health history, she developed theories that his death was suicide, murder, a CIA assassination, or a faked disappearance. Unable to process the loss while her family remained in Singapore, Debra took a bus to her grandparents’ house in North Hampton, New Hampshire. They gave her a cold sandwich and drove her back to the bus station. Wandering Portsmouth afterward, she concluded she could trust no one and that the world would only take from her. Decades later, she told Stefan this was how she learned to be strong and found her “armor.”

The narrative shifts to Stefan’s perspective weeks after his car crash, as he realized one traumatic episode could not explain his mom’s entire life. Recalling how he rear-ended an SUV after driving into a dust cloud, he remembered the kindness of the teenage driver who let him call home. When his mother gave him the silent treatment, he understood it as her fear of his death. Afterward, Debra accused Stefan of never apologizing properly. He realized she was referring to his departure from homeschooling years ago.

During his high school years, Stefan won numerous awards—science fairs, National Merit Scholar, editor-in-chief, and a finalist in the Science Talent Search, known as the “Junior Nobel Prize.” He decided to attend Washington University in St. Louis on scholarship. He and his high-achieving friends, Dave, Mira, and Ben, recognized how ambition had “malformed” them all. After graduation, Stefan wept, feeling guilty, looking forward to the independence of college but feeling guilty about leaving his mother. Debra planned for him to become a psychiatrist and return to live near them; he didn’t argue.

At college in St. Louis, Stefan felt exhilarated by the “anti-Plano” atmosphere and began a project of transformation. He started binge drinking, tried drugs, and for Thanksgiving, dyed his hair red and painted his nails. He also told Debra that he would never have children and that he planned to become a writer. Debra dismissed these rebellions as exploration and booked Stefan a salon appointment to restore his appearance. After the parents of his friend, Chris, disowned their son for coming out, Stefan wished for similar rejection from Debra. However, after a brief romance with Chris, Stefan concluded he was not gay.

Stefan continued spending summers at Echo Cottage with his mother. One night, his brother, Aaron, arrived with his fiancée, Nicki, a medical student. This marked the start of a “domestic holy war” (229), as Nicki questioned Debra’s health theories and her idealized version of her family history. At one point, Nicki asked if it was hard for Debra’s family when she married a Jewish person. The next day, Aaron apologized to Debra for choosing his father’s heritage over hers, explaining he must convert to Judaism for the wedding. Debra became emotional and drove home recklessly. Later, she told Stefan that “the Jews” were taking Aaron away and made antisemitic remarks. Stefan, who had been exploring his own Jewish identity, remained silent out of fear. At Thanksgiving, Debra told Aaron he would be miserable and die young if he married Nicki. Aaron married her anyway, and Stefan marveled at his brother’s courage.

After college, Stefan moved to New York City to be a writer while working as a videographer. Despite struggling financially, he refused to return to Plano, fearing he would become “a homeschooler for life” (235). His mother’s health declined, and her tutoring business dwindled. Spending an alarming amount of time on the sofa, she appeared to be shrinking. During a visit, she accused Stefan of choosing New York over her. Stefan finished a novel he believed was a failure, but drunkenly emailed it to agents. One responded positively, and the book eventually sold. His relationship with Debra improved, and he agreed to visit Echo Cottage again.

At a reading, Stefan saw Martin, his homeschool replacement, in the audience and avoided speaking to him. Later, he realized that his ex-girlfriend’s observation was correct: His isolation, work habits, and two- to three-hour daily calls with Debra, during which he read his work to her for praise, proved that he had never truly left homeschooling. At nearly 30, he vowed to change.