Summary

The short story “Grace” begins in the winter of 1979 in Paramus, New Jersey. A seven-year old girl is alone in a toy aisle while her mother and little sister, Ida, go back for the forgotten lemons. A stranger appears and tells the young girl she will buy her the doll. The girl follows this strange woman out of the store, into her car, and across state lines. When she opens her eyes, it is morning. Although she is scared, the place is inviting, the women kind, and the children play happily. She was given a new name: Grace. Unlike her school experiences, no one in this place was cruel. She learns how to milk goats, make cheese, and garden with the other children. Grace does not miss her mother or her father, but misses Ida. She makes up stories of how Ida felt...