Genetics

Throughout the collection, Cookie's main concern is not whether or not Sister will get well (although this remains a major concern for the entire family) but whether or not she and Sister are genetically wired the same way. Growing up, Cookie and Sister were inseparable. They did everything together and were so similar that Cookie says looking across the room and looking at Sister was like "looking at a rosy reflection in a mirror" (p. 42). It's no wonder that she struggles to balance her emotions after Sister's breakdown. Repeatedly, Cookie thinks thoughts like, "I get this weird feeling that if I look in the mirror I'll see that my eyes have turned into her eyes, my lips have turned into her lips, and if I speak, my voice will come out sounding just like hers" (p. 58). Deep down, she knows that she "could have been the one" whose...