It's Complicated

            While in the next portion of Picoult’s novel the question asked in the previous post is not answered, new background information about Anna’s relationship with each of her parents is given. This part of the novel begins with Sara, Anna’s mother, who remembers a time when she was still pregnant with Anna. Sara is getting her hair done with two other strangers who both happen to be pregnant. They are all talking about their expected children when the questions come to Sara. One of the women asks Sara if she has a name picked out yet. It is in this moment that Sara realizes that she has not even thought of the specifics of this unborn child. In fact, she has only thought of her unborn daughter in terms of what she will be able to do for Kate. Sara no sooner has Anna than Anna is already unknowingly donating the umbilical cord to begin her many donations to Kate. Thus begins the lifelong cycle of Anna’s – donate to her sister only for it to help for a brief period of time.

            Back in present time of the novel, we are introduced to Julia Romano, the ad litem assigned to Anna’s case. The ad litem is used to determine what is best for Anna. She talks to Anna to determine whether or not her mother is influencing Anna’s thinking in regard to the lawsuit. Since it is Anna’s mother we are talking about, it is expected that Sara has tried to get Anna to drop the suit. Julia speaks with Anna and tries to find what solution is best in regard to a living situation that could obviously change Anna’s feelings on what she truly wants. After speaking with Anna at a zoo – she took her to a zoo to try and make her more comfortable – she comes to the conclusion that “Either this girl loses her sister, I think, or she’s going to lose herself” (p.113).  Once Julia has finished speaking with Anna, it is time for her to speak to the lawyer on the case, Campbell Alexander.

            The relationship between Julia and Campbell spans way beyond the legal relationship that it is first thought of. We learn that Julia and Campbell went to high school together and were seeing one another for some time before Campbell broke Julia’s heart. This encounter with Campbell is the first time in fifteen years that they have seen one another. It is explained in a later chapter that Julia was an outcast in high school; she was very different from the others. Despite not being popular with most people at the school, Campbell was very interested in her. They met at a graveyard together every day after school. It all seems to be going well until Julia and Campbell become intimate with one another. It is from this moment that it is implied that something went wrong in their relationship at this point; it also suggests that there is more to the story between them. At this time, Julia also blames Campbell for all of her bad relationships since then, which have not been better than those experiences.

            Once the relationship of Campbell and Julia is understood, it makes their interactions over this case make more sense. Campbell does his best to try and “win her back, “ but has up to this point failed. Mr. Alexander even goes to the point where he stops by Anna Fitzgerald’s house to try and get to know her better – as Julia suggested he did not even care about Anna – only to end up talking about legal issues with her. It is at this point that Campbell hears Sara talking to Anna about the case at home trying to get her to forget all about it, which causes him to file for a restraining order for Sara.

            In the midst of all of this, it is clear that Anna still cares deeply about her sister Kate. Throughout the entire process, she is concerned with Kate’s health and her relationship with her sister. Anna sneaks in the hospital room – doing her best to avoid a confrontation with her mother – to see Kate as much as she can. As the novel progresses, we learn more and more that Anna was never really given the choice to not donate things to her sister. Sara and Brian’s reasoning behind this is that “Why wouldn’t she want to save her sister’s life?” Despite everything that has happened between Anna and Kate, it is clear that they still care deeply for each other. It causes me, as a reader, to wonder why Anna is choosing to do this now, when she knows the consequences?

            When the restraining order is received, it does not go over well. Sara is once again furious at Anna, whom she soon realizes is not the one to blame. Sara, Campbell, Julia, Brian, and Anna go to the court to discuss the issue of the restraining order. While the Judge DeSalvo is speaking with Sara, Campbell, and Julia, Brian decides that Anna needs “breathing room” and takes her to the fire station to live with him there for a while. In the mean time at the courthouse, the judge declines the restraining order, but tells Sara that if she interferes with the case at home again, she will be reported to the bar of ethics. They all leave to find that Anna and her father are no longer there.

            Brian realizes that this could break apart their family right now, but believes that this will save it in the long run. It seems that there is finally someone that is concerned with Anna’s, not just Kate’s, well being.