Everyone, I am sorry.  I have done a disservice to Mara’s mother.  (Well…half a one, anyway.)  As lovely reader Mira pointed out in the comments, I misread the scene in Ch 22 where Dr. Maillard was writing out the prescription.  She did not, in fact, prescribe Zoloft; Mara just thought that’s what she wrote.  Instead, Dr. Maillard talked about Zoloft but not about anything else, and apparently my brain just took that to mean she was reluctant to prescribe it but doing so anyway.  The very thought of a doctor writing out a prescription and then not giving the patient any information about it just refuses to compute for me unless it’s spelled out, I guess.

So, Mrs. Dyer did not replace Mara’s prescription.  However, Dr. Dyer is still willing to let her daughter take dangerous drugs after one appointment without telling Mara anything about them (even after Mara asks).  Dr. Dyer also did not immediately report Dr. Maillard to every authority within shouting distance.  So Dr. Dyer is not off the hook for being a bad mother and psychiatrist.

Mara wakes up on Sunday morning, and if you thought that all that stuff from yesterday is going to have any kind of an impact, what book are you reading?  Nope, Mara has no cares to give about her hallucinations making her upchuck, her ex boyfriend’s ghost taunting her as she does it, or being prescribed antipsychotics.  (At least she’s not taking them yet.)  Nope, all of her cares are about what to wear for her date with Noah.

She tells her mom that she’s going out with a guy, and her mom shrugs like “whatever,” which is odd.  At least, odd for this book.  Mara has been carrying on nonstop about how she’s wondering what to tell her mom, and Dr. Dryer has been at least pretending to be overprotective thus far, so what gives with the total apathy?

Noah shows up and gets invited inside by Daniel and Dr. Dyer, and for some reason Daniel keeps “cackling” at the very benign sequence of events.  Noah isn’t even saying anything funny or embarrassing. There is mindless smalltalk for a while, then they get ready to go.

Before Mara walks out the door, her mom hands her a pill and says she’d feel better if Mara went ahead and started taking it.

Because Mara’s mother is an idiot.  But at least Mara only pretends to take it and then tosses it in the bushes.

Hm, although I only say “at least” because I’m so pissed off about how this stuff has been introduced.  When the book assumes that the medication is actually needed, then praises not taking a medicine you need, that opens a whole new can of worms.  Though, Mara does explicitly say that she just hasn’t made up her mind and doesn’t want to be forced until then.

“This isn’t a date,” I said. “But that was quite a performance in there. She didn’t even ask what time I’d be coming home.”

Noah grinned. “Glad you enjoyed it.” He glanced down at my clothes and nodded once. “You’ll do.”

 “You’re so fucking patronizing.”

 “You have such a filthy mouth.”

BTW, we still have no indication at all that any part of Mara wants this to happen.  She’s been nervous, annoyed, and embarrassed by turns, when she wasn’t feeling pressured and blackmailed, and that’s just in this chapter.  And then Noah goes on continuing to be an utter ass. 

It’s almost as if, *gasp,* this asshole is an ass and that’s his standard way of treating people.

They start driving and Noah won’t say where they’re going so Mara looks through his music on his iPod.  (Do people still have those?  Haven’t smartphones replaced them?  When was this book written?)

“I’m more well-rounded than you.”

 “Not possible. You’re American,” he said. “And if it is true, it’s only because you like crap.”

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

I turned away and looked out the window. I never knew which Noah to expect from day to day. Or hell, minute to minute.

Really?  It’s not hard.  Just ask yourself “what’s the douchiest thing anyone could do this moment?”

They start talking about fears.  (Mara is scared of a tall bridge/heights; it’s not completely out of the blue.)

“I’m afraid of being fake. Empty,” Noah said tonelessly. […]“There’s nothing I want. There’s nothing I can’t do. I don’t care about anything. No matter what, I’m an impostor. An actor in my own life.”

Really?  That’s all you’ve got?

Granted, that feeling sucks and I am familiar with it and it’s worth being sad over and trying to fix.  But it’s not exactly new, it’s not really deep, and it doesn’t even come close to excusing your dickish behavior to everyone in this book so far.

Also, I find it hard to be sympathetic to this sort of attitude if someone hasn’t really tried anything.  So you don’t care about anything, well, have you made the attempt to try new things?  Granted, this has nothing to do with this book because Noah is not a viewpoint character; if he’s tried a million hobbies and still feels apathetic about life and has given up on trying, we’re not going to see that from Mara’s POV.  But because we don’t get to see that and because I would really need to see that to counteract the level of horrible person he is (even if it wouldn’t completely balance out) this is still a rather poor choice.

It’s not like it’s impossible to pull off.  If Noah was more apathetic in his sexual escapades, maybe just taking whatever came his way but never committing to one person, that would be fine.  Just throw at all mention of him purposely pursuing girls because he refuses to double-dip.  Tone down also the number of partners he’s had.  Boom.  Some girls can still get upset because they think he’ll date them and he doesn’t, but if he’s just taking whatever bedmate wanders close enough to offer, then he’s got “I don’t care about nothing” without being actively shitty.  If he’s open about not being monogamous but doesn’t really care that girls go in thinking he’ll change for them, then he’s got some apathy-flavored douche to him.  And it’s all low enough and non-raging enough that when this line comes up here I’ll actually buy it.  That also would have the added benefit of having Mara be special in that he actually pursues her.  (Although we’d need a reason for him to do that other than just “she’s new and he’s literally fucked everyone else so far.)

They talk about going to a Seaquarium that has an orca whale named “Lolita” because apparently the book doesn’t want to let that go.  Noah talks about how his mom used to be an animal rights activist of the “break into labs” variety, but stopped when she married into money and now does all of her campaigning with donations.

But that is not where they are actually going.  Noah drives her to an affluent neighborhood where the houses are all mini mansions.  (Or possibly actual mansions.)  Noah is taking her to see someone, but he refuses to say who.  We’ll have to find out tomorrow.