Susan

Susan is a 45-year-old woman. She grew up in Birmingham with her younger brother, Edward, and her parents. Her mother was partial to her brother, and she indulged him and cared for him much more than she did Susan. Susan’s father was partial to her, but he was an alcoholic and his drinking severely affected his mood and the tone of the house. Susan resented her father’s drinking, and developed a fear of chaos and a love of order and structure because of him.

While she was a child, her Aunt Sylvia visited frequently. Later, Susan learns that her Aunt Sylvia is actually her biological mother. She had slept with Susan’s father and gotten pregnant when she was just seventeen. She had told her sister that she was pregnant with a stranger’s child. Her sister had been having trouble conceiving, so she suggested adopting...