Summary

The eleven chapters in the third section again take place over a long period, this time from Lidia’s early childhood until her time as a graduate student.

“A Happy Childhood,” take the reader through lighter moments in Lidia’s life. She is six and she and her friends Christie and Katie swim for fun and win at swim meets. She is eight and in awe of her older sister. She is ten and vacationing with her family at Salishan, where they laugh and seem to be a normal family. She is 11 and plays clarinet with her friend Brody and feels pangs of sexual arousal. She is 13 and goes camping with Christie’s family. She is 15 and in the women’s locker room after practice and she wants to belong to something besides family.

“Illness as Metaphor” recounts the time Lidia...