White Oleander

In church, a dramatic organ introduces Reverend Thomas, the man Starr has been raving about. He begins lecturing about sin and the problems with choosing one’s path. He goes on about the sin virus, and Astrid thinks back to when she failed to warn Barry about her mother, feeling guilty and ashamed. Astrid gets baptized at the church, unconcerned by “how fake [Reverend Thomas] was, how he looked down Starr’s dress” (73). She wants to be cleansed and follow God’s plan. A few days later, Astrid receives a letter from Ingrid. Ingrid is angry that Astrid is falling for the trap of Christianity and tries to remind her that “to dare to see is to steal the fire from the Gods. This is mankind’s destiny, the engine which fuels us as a race” (74). She does not regret her decision to murder Barry and insists that following one’s path is the only acceptable way. A few nights later, Astrid is playing chess with Ray, thinking about how attracted he is to her. Astrid has no one to guide her other than her mother’s distant words, and she becomes increasingly exposed to inappropriate sexual behavior. Over the summer, Astrid takes up painting, sending her mother pictures of everything. Ray teaches Astrid how to shoot various guns, and Astrid starts to see herself as a woman in Ray’s eyes. In reality, she is only 13 and does not realize that Ray is predatory.

Astrid turns 14 in November, and Starr’s family holds a birthday party for her. Astrid feels special and is taken aback when she opens the gift from Ray: a carved wooden jewelry box with a moonflower on it, much like the one on the cover of Ingrid’s novel. Days later, torrential rains begin and seem never to stop, ending a years-long drought. Ray asks Astrid about her father, Klaus. Astrid admits that she never met him and only has one photo and her birth certificate. She reveals that Klaus was an artist like her, and she hopes he would be proud of her. Astrid remembers an entry she read in one of Ingrid’s journals that indicated her attraction to Klaus: “I wanted him to discover me the same way, so I turned away, […] my hair on fire, my dress barely there. Waiting to stop his heart” (87). Ray smokes his pipe, getting high in front of Astrid.

Starr accuses Astrid of trying to steal Ray and says she is calling Children’s Services to have Astrid taken away from their home. Astrid brings up the charity of Jesus and protests the accusations. She accuses Starr of jealousy and warns that Ray might break up with her over this. After instilling doubt in Starr, Astrid convinces her to let her stay. One afternoon, Ray takes Astrid to see the house he is working on. After some flirting and talking, Astrid and Ray have sex, and Ray becomes a statutory rapist. He seems to feel guilty about it on some level, but they become increasingly involved with one another. Astrid thinks of nothing but Ray and concludes that “there was no God, there was only what you wanted” (97). She sees herself as her mother when she was with Klaus, not realizing she is still too young to be involved with an adult man.

Starr starts to drink again after 18 months of sobriety. One night, Carolee sneaks out as usual, but Starr stops her. Astrid thinks about how she wishes she could draw Carolee in this moment, “the way her broad-shouldered body threw a shadow on the moonpale dust. How brave she looked just then” (103). Starr and Carolee end up in a tussle; Starr tells Carolee to leave. Starr continues to spiral downward, and Astrid blames herself. One day, Starr falls into a rage and breaks one of Davey’s models. When he yells at her, she starts hitting him. She dislocates his shoulder, and Astrid attempts to comfort him as Starr continues insulting him. Astrid calls Ray, who takes Davey to the hospital. Davey makes everyone promise not to tell anyone what happened to him because “he still loved [Starr], after everything” (107).

Two weeks pass, and Starr stops drinking. On Easter, Astrid and Ray do not speak to one another. A few nights later, Astrid overhears Starr and Ray fighting. Ray cannot perform in bed, and Starr suspects it is because of Astrid. She accuses him of being a pervert and then flies into Astrid’s room with a gun, shooting at her. Ray pulls her out, but Starr returns moments later and manages to hit Astrid twice. Davey calls an ambulance, saving Astrid’s life, and packs up her things as she leaves on a stretcher. She wonders if she will ever see Ray again.

Astrid is in the hospital, fading in and out of consciousness. She dreams of her mother and being a young child. Ingrid took Astrid to Isla Mujeres, and Astrid remembers the smells, tastes, and people there. When she wakes, Astrid is surrounded by doctors and other people asking her to explain who shot her. Astrid next dreams of Playa del Carmen, where her mother took her next. She becomes severely ill, asking her mother to take her home, to which Ingrid replies, “We have no home. I am your home” (116). Astrid awakes to hear a policeman talking about catching Starr after she comes to see how Astrid is doing. She receives letters from her mother, one of which begs her not to leave the earth. Astrid lies in the hospital, feeling like she has ruined the lives of Starr, Davey, and Ray. Astrid heals enough to walk with a cane and take her bandages off. She is sent to her next placement with what few belongings she has.