Epilogue
T he detention center wasnt nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. She had a tiny room of her own that she kept neat and tidy, and it was a relief not to have to deal with anyone elses dirty, balled-up clothes. Someone else did all the cooking and laundry, and she was allowed books and TV time and anything she wanted to buy from a little menu in the centers store. They had chocolate bars and ramen noodles and her favorite cereal. Shed purchased shampoo that made her hair smell like lavender from the garden. A fat drawing pad and colored pencils kept her busy for hours, drawing flowers and stars and boats and clouds. She was becoming a pretty good artist.
Her first week in detention she had purchased writing paper and stamps so that she could pour her heart out in letters to Mama-dish. Her dear mother. How she missed her! Sometimes she imagined the two of them skiing down the mountain together, cutting loops around each other in a giant chain of love. And the cold, lonely nights here made her long for Moms warm bed. Isabel had written nearly a dozen letters to let Mom know just how much she missed her. So far, she had not received an answer, but she knew that Mom would write back eventually. Someday, Mom would realize that her little girl was here, waiting patiently to love and be loved.
Until then, Isabel had decided to write to someone else.
Mom had mentioned his name once, while she was having one of those heavy talks with Luke and thought no one else in the house could hear.
Frank Dixon.
Isabel had held his name close to her heart, knowing that someday, in some way, she would find him. It hadnt seemed so important while she had Mom, but once she had arrived here at the detention center, she thought it was about time to reach out to Dad.
It wasnt difficult to find him through the Internet. The picture had taken her breath away.
I have his eyes.
Just seeing him had given her a strong sense of belonging.
There was information about his recent trials, and even the name of the prison where he was living. The United States Penitentiary in Victorville, California. She had clicked on the visiting policies on the prison Web site and imagined herself waiting for him to come to the window. The aura of joy on his face when he saw her for the first time. A big smile. A hand pressed to the bulletproof glass.
Of course, they wouldnt be able to meet while they were both incarcerated. But someday, some way...
She smoothed her fingertips over the writing paper and pressed pen to paper.
Dear Daddy,
Youre going to be surprised to receive this letter from your girl Isabel. Thats right, you have a beautiful daughter who shares your dark hair and blue eyes. I cant wait to meet you! I am tied up right now, but I hope to visit you sometime in the future.
I am fifteen years old, and my birthday is in December. A Sagittariusalways shooting for the stars. Im confident and optimistic about life and love, even with all the mean things people have done to me.
So are you shocked? Ill let the good news settle in and write you another letter next week. Until then, I just want you to know that you have a daughter who loves you with all her heart. You and I will make a great team; I can feel it already. After all, family is everything.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When Jane Ryan could not imagine herself managing to raise twins on her own, she gave one baby up for adoption. Do twins have a special bond that makes them closer than other siblings? Is it harmful or helpful to separate twins as infants? Do you think parents should encourage twins to have a special bond?
Could Jane have handled her escape from Frank Dixon differently? Do you think she would have gotten adequate support from the local police department and district attorneys office?
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, one third of the women killed in the United States are murdered by a domestic partner. Do you think restraining orders curtail domestic violence?
Colic has been defined as an extended period of uncontrollable crying (three hours in a row for three days or more) in an otherwise healthy baby. Does American society give mothers like Jane tools to deal with colic? Have technological advances assisted women with mothering or would women be better served by relying on basic mothering instincts?
In the discussion of nature versus nurture, which do you think plays the most important role in a childs upbringing ? Is there a type of home environment that might have steered Isabel to become a compassionate, well-rounded human being? In what ways do our genetics predict our destiny?
The author refers to songs by Sheryl Crow, Paula Cole, and Sarah McLachlan to help set the scene for the summer of 1997. Do you find popular references like this to be an asset to a story or a distraction?
What parenting lessons does Jane learn through the course of the story?
The author opens the novel with Eudora Weltys words: People are mostly layers of violence and tenderness wrapped like bulbs, and it is difficult to say what makes them onions or hyacinths. How does this apply to the characters of Jane, Harper, and Isabel in Take Another Look ?
At the end of the novel, Jane realizes that People were magnificently flawed, imperfect. How does this reflect her emotional journey in the novel?
If you were casting the roles in Take Another Look for a movie, what actors would you choose for Jane, Harper/ Isabel, and Luke? If you were writing the script, would you play up the suspense angles of the story or the psychological conflicts?
Prologue
December 2000
T wo rivers of thought converged as Jane Ryan stared through the glass at her twin baby girls. One stream sluiced clear and cold with resolution to stick to the logical plan and take her firstborn; the other was a muddy pulse of doubt. Despite the decision that she had embraced months ago, her mind now jumped from one plan to another the way a monkey leaped from tree to tree. The monkey mind. She had to quiet the monkey brain.
Just choose.
Stick to the plan.
Or not.
She tried to envision her life beyond this hospital, but antiseptic smells and bursts of noise tugged at her consciousness. For a moment she listened to the conversation of the other people at the window, a new mother in a fluffy pink robe talking to a young couple.
Thats him. My Chad-man.
So cute. Isnt he adorable?
Chad? Whyd you pick that name? The young man voiced everything as a question. You want him to be, like, a movie star?
