The story is told from the perspective of Millie (referred to by her own narration and by her friend, Q, as ‘Milo’), a sophomore in James Wilson Marshall High’s class of 1992, in Placerville, California. Being the daughter of film producer Bruce Coleman, who famously died of a methaqualone overdose before Milo turned two years old, the girl and her glamorous, ageless mother (Enid) are easily the most recognisable people in her town, and her surname alone has granted her the highest spot in the upper echelons of teenage social hierarchy at JWM. But this popularity does nothing to ease the “perpetual loneliness” Milo finds herself beginning to experience. People seem eager to gain her attention and approval and she finds it hard to understand
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The bell rings signalling the end of the day and as Milo packs her bag, her teacher, Mr Wilson, engages her in conversation about how early the sky gets dark now that winter is setting in. He is a young-looking thirty-five year old with a full beard and Milo innocently considers his aesthetic beauty for the first time. Before Milo can respond to him, however, her clique gather around her desk. They discuss what they should do that evening and Milo is less than enthusiastic and she pushes past them into the hallway, sending a final glance back to Mr …show more content…
With Enid absent and Q busy with assignments and Art, Milo begins to ponder the notion of suicide and the various ways she could do it in her home. She decides the easiest option would be to overdose on her mother’s ‘anxiety medication’ and, although she isn’t intent on actually doing it, she begins to map out her final journey through the house and follows the path she’d take. Upon opening what she knew to be Enid’s meds drawer, she finds a journal: the diary Enid kept when she was a little older than Milo. It details her Enid’s experience meeting Milo’s father for the first time. Slotted between two pages is a picture of Enid at the time of writing. For the first time, Milo sees herself in her mother, and instantly identifies with Enid’s
The bell rings signalling the end of the day and as Milo packs her bag, her teacher, Mr Wilson, engages her in conversation about how early the sky gets dark now that winter is setting in. He is a young-looking thirty-five year old with a full beard and Milo innocently considers his aesthetic beauty for the first time. Before Milo can respond to him, however, her clique gather around her desk. They discuss what they should do that evening and Milo is less than enthusiastic and she pushes past them into the hallway, sending a final glance back to Mr …show more content…
With Enid absent and Q busy with assignments and Art, Milo begins to ponder the notion of suicide and the various ways she could do it in her home. She decides the easiest option would be to overdose on her mother’s ‘anxiety medication’ and, although she isn’t intent on actually doing it, she begins to map out her final journey through the house and follows the path she’d take. Upon opening what she knew to be Enid’s meds drawer, she finds a journal: the diary Enid kept when she was a little older than Milo. It details her Enid’s experience meeting Milo’s father for the first time. Slotted between two pages is a picture of Enid at the time of writing. For the first time, Milo sees herself in her mother, and instantly identifies with Enid’s