Life at University
This prestigious university is where Tara studies during these chapters.
University of Cambridge
This is the brother who abuses Tara in these chapters.
Shawn
Which sibling writes an email to Tara while she is abroad, complicating her feelings about the family?
Audrey writes that she has forgiven Shawn and blames Tara for family conflict, deepening Tara’s emotional struggle.
What country does Tara travel back to after visiting her family?
England
Westover's boyfriend during the third part of the memoir. He is the first boyfriend whom she tells about her family and her upbringing.
Drew
What does Audrey admit in her email to Tara about Shawn's abusiveness?
Her sister Audrey admits that Shawn abused her too, and she expresses regret and guilt for not stopping him sooner.
How does Faye in particular respond to Shawn's threats?
Minimizes the threats, explaining he doesn't have the capacity to harm her. Twists Tara's perception of events.
What illness in the family partly motivates Tara to return home during these chapters?
Her grandmother is seriously ill
During her time at Cambridge, Tara travels with classmates to this historic European city.
Rome
When Tara tries to tell her parents about Shawn’s violent behavior toward her, which parent does she speak with directly?
She speaks online with her mother, who acknowledged Shawn's abusive behavior
How does Tara’s sister Audrey treat her after the confrontation, even though Audrey admitted abuse herself?
Audrey sides with the rest of the family and cuts off communication with Tara, which is different from what she confessed to her earlier
In Chapter 34, Shawn gives Tara this object smeared with blood and threatens her with it.
A knife
What advanced academic degree is Tara working toward while at Cambridge?
PhD in history
What happens to Emily when Tara comes home to Buck's Peak for Christmas?
She rushes inside, claims Shawn has thrown her into a snowbank and locked her outside barefoot.
How does Tara’s mother’s response shift during the confrontation about Shawn’s violence, and what effect does it have on Tara?
Her mother initially seems to admit that Shawn hurt Tara, but then she retracts her statement and denies that abuse ever occurred, leaving Tara feeling isolated and unsupported.
What does Tara later learn that Shawn did after one of their confrontations, showing his capacity for violence beyond just threatening her?
She learns that Shawn took out his anger on his own dog, killing it with a knife. This is a continuation of his dangerous behavior
At Cambridge, Tara studies under this scholarship that allows her to pursue graduate work.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
How does her family twist the blame from Shawn to Tara after her confrontations with them about Shawn's abuse?
They refuse to believe her, suggest she is influenced by Satan, portray her as the attacker and Shawn as the victim of her lies. Her mother says her memory is unreliable.
How do Tara's academic achievements differ with her emotional state during these chapters?
Even though she earns scholarships, grants, fellowships, she still feels isolated and anxious because of her strained relationship with her family because of Shawn's abuse
What does Tara begin to question when her family repeatedly denies Shawn's abuse?
She begins to question her own memories and whether she can trust them