59 pages • 1 hour read
What She Left Behind: A Haunting and Heartbreaking Story of 1920s Historical Fiction
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Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, gender discrimination, graphic violence, substance use, bullying, physical abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm, ableism, and child sexual abuse.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Izzy “
Izzy confesses that she took and read Clara’s journal. Peg tells her to ask next time but is interested in Clara’s life. A few days later, Peg and Harry take Izzy back to Willard to look through medical records. Peter meets them there and tells Izzy that Ethan says hello and apologizes for missing the trip because of basketball practice. They all put on protective gear and find the records room.
Peg is looking for records of a patient whose last name starts with C, like Clara Cartwright’s, and the records are generally alphabetized. Izzy finds Esther Baldwin’s file and then Clara’s. The records state that Clara was diagnosed with “Paranoid delusion with hallucinations” (161). The dated entries contradict themselves, saying that Bruno isn’t real and that Clara isn’t pregnant but later saying that she gave birth to a daughter. Izzy wonders what happened to the baby and vows to find her and give her Clara’s journal.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Clara”
Clara is kept in the infirmary until September and receives better treatment there than with the general population. The meals are similar to the meals she had at the Long Island Home; Roach requested better food for her. She names her daughter Beatrice Elizabeth Moretti and longs to take her outside.
