The Devil's Daughter Chapter 2: From Boston to Los Angeles

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Billie spends Sunday organizing her job search in Boston, focusing on employment agencies that specialize in medical laboratories. She reflects on her fractured family—her mother's death five years ago dissolved the family glue, leaving her distant from her father (an alcoholic farmer) and selfish sister Mickie. Her friend Tom is away on secret counterterrorism missions.

On Monday, she visits three agencies but learns that most jobs were taken by graduates months earlier. After two weeks of fruitless searching in Boston and a brief trip to New York, her savings dwindle. Just as she considers returning to Iowa, Mickie calls and suggests Billie move to Los Angeles to share her apartment and work at the restaurant where Mickie waits tables. Despite her reservations, Billie buys a cheap red-eye ticket with long layovers. She arrives in West Hollywood, finds the apartment shabby but welcoming, and immediately contacts employment agencies. That night she works as a bus girl at Harry's bar, tired but determined to find a lab job.

Key Events

Billie systematically contacts employment agencies in Boston but learns the market is glutted with late graduates.
She travels to New York for a few days to search for lab work but finds nothing.
Panic sets in as her money runs low; she has ten days of funds left on returning to Boston.
Mickie calls unexpectedly to propose Billie move to L.A. and share an apartment.
Billie buys a discounted red-eye ticket with stops in Chicago and Phoenix, arriving after a 14-hour journey.
She unpacks in the bare apartment, then immediately calls employment agencies, securing two appointments for the next day.
That evening she works as a bus girl at Harry's bar, a loud venue where women dress scantily; she earns no tips.

Character Development

Billie: Transitions from a confident MIT graduate to a desperate job seeker. Her decision to move to L.A. with Mickie shows her willingness to adapt despite her ambivalence. She remains goal‑oriented (contacting agencies the day she arrives) but also pragmatic (taking the waitressing job).
Mickie: Appears more grown-up than in the past—she secured a job for Billie at her restaurant and sounds cheerful and helpful. Yet her selfishness persists: she plans to use two of the three bedrooms while Billie pays half the rent. Her glamorous appearance (Chanel suit, luxury brands from thrift shops) contrasts sharply with Billie's student frugality.
Family dynamics: Both sisters are disconnected from their father; neither has spoken to him in months. Billie's longing for a "real family" underscores the emotional void left by their mother.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Family disconnection: The loss of the mother dissolves the family unit. Billie feels like an orphan, and the sisters' rare communication highlights their estrangement.
Persistence vs. luck: Billie's methodical job search yields nothing; her survival depends on a last‑minute gamble facilitated by Mickie's chance phone call.
Appearance vs. reality: Mickie's Chanel suit and Louboutins project wealth, but the shabby apartment and the hooker‑like waitress outfit at Harry's reveal a harsh underlying reality.
Geographic displacement: Billie's cross‑country journey symbolizes her uncertain future—from the intellectual world of MIT to the gritty service economy of L.A.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter sets Billie's relocation in motion, creating the central tension between her scientific ambitions and the immediate need for income. It deepens the portrait of the dysfunctional Wright family, establishing a stark contrast between Billie's discipline and Mickie's pragmatism. The move to Los Angeles prepares the ground for new relationships and conflicts that will drive the rest of the novel.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Billie decide to accept Mickie's invitation despite their difficult history?
Answer: Billie has exhausted all job options in Boston and New York; her savings are nearly gone. Mickie offers a free place to stay and a temporary waitressing job. Billie sees no other choice and hopes living together as adults will be different from their childhood.

2. How does Mickie support her glamorous lifestyle according to her own account?
Answer: She buys designer clothes (Chanel) at a secondhand shop in Beverly Hills, using her tip money. She pays the rent with earnings from trade‑show modeling jobs. The apartment itself is cheap and shabby, so her appearance of wealth is an illusion.

3. What does the contrast between the sisters' clothing in this chapter reveal about their personalities?
Answer: Billie wears faded jeans and an MIT sweatshirt—practical and academic. Mickie wears a Chanel suit or a leather miniskirt and cropped sweater—image‑conscious and provocative. The contrast shows Billie's focus on substance (education) versus Mickie's focus on surface (appearance and immediate reward).