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Evil is unspectacular and always human, And shares our bed and eats at our own table.
—W. H. Auden
Most important, she’d have something of her own, outside of her life as a daughter, mother, and wife.
But in that moment, she sees herself through the eyes of this stranger and likes what she sees. An image of perfection that can be derived only from newness and unfamiliarity, in the fleeting moments before flaws and anxieties reveal themselves.
People want to feel like they’re getting something different, but they like what is familiar.”
Now, Annie’s clean world is closing in on her. Hunched over, knees curled up to her chest, paralyzed
Indeed, there is strong evidence of a genetic component to OCD. It has also been documented that the incidence of mental illness—not just OCD, you understand, but depression, schizophrenia, stress disorders—is higher in refugee women.
The bonds that once kept you tethered, safe. Later they can strangle you. That was how Dr. Patel described the ties between mothers and daughters.
It’s astounding what the brain can do to protect you from harm, especially when you have no control over what’s happening. Especially when you’ve been displaced by bloody wars you’re too young to understand.
