<b>[pg. 18 - 31 Summary] [Chapt. 2 The Midwife – Chapt. 3 Cream Shoes]</b> The story continues through the background of the protagonist, Tara Westover's parents, Faye and Gene. The Westover family was large, consisting of Tony, Shawn, Tyler, Luke, Audrey, Richard, and Tara. Tony was born in a hospital one year after his parents’ marriage when Gene was twenty-two. Tony and Shawn were the only two with birth certificates. Gene’s childhood was described as bursting with energy and laughter and consumed by running a farm. Faye, who worked as a waitress at a bowling alley, was attracted to Gene’s maturity, seriousness for his age, physical appearance, and independent mind. Tara later discovered Faye’s parents had opposed the engagement, explaining the detachment from the aunts, uncles, and cousins the kids experienced from their mother’s side.
Faye’s cream shoes symbolize her choice to close the final chapter of her life with her blood family and open a new one with Gene. The children understood that the dissolution of their mother’s family (represented by the cream shoes) marked the beginning of their own. The two could not coexist. Tara subtly recounts decisions her father, Gene made in his late twenties, to early thirties, and early forties, leading to a radical point of understanding in her life. She starts to reveal how her father would prepare ahead to stay safe and how his methods would seem to heighten more-and-more over time.
Fourteen years after an incident that triggered her father’s profound fears, Tara was able to better understand and accept mental health and her father’s actions while sitting in a university psychology classroom. Though her father’s estranged behavior became more apparent after age twenty-five, and his bipolar-like symptoms seemed relevant, she ultimately found peace without needing an exact diagnosis. She began to heal and acknowledge her power to break the cycle. She recognized how paranoia and fundamentalism had caved up her life, taking from her the people she cared about, leaving only degrees and certificates. She could now see what she described as a tape playing in a continuous loop.
<b>[Note]</b> This book does seem to jump between different time periods at times, but the flow continues to capture my interest and deepen my understanding of what is being addressed. Each chapter leaves me with questions and a continued urge to read further.
