Counterfeit

Ava describes taking Henri to visit her father in Boston to help her father pack. Ava’s brother and his wife have convinced their father to move into a condo near theirs in Chicago. Ava’s father also suggests that Henri should see a specialist, but she goes on say that it’s more important for Henri to be a good person than a genius. Ava expresses resentment that he never held this easy attitude for her. When she tries to confide in her father that she feels frustrated and overwhelmed, he retreats emotionally. Ava speculates to the detective that her family and upbringing are the reasons she “became the emotionally thwarted person who spent nearly a year under Winnie’s spell” (214). Her brother Gabe worked against expectation and was a popular athlete and is a salesman. Her parents disdained Gabe’s interests, and Ava felt she had to earn top grades. Back in the narrative, Ava watches her pregnant sister-in-law, Priya, play with Henri and envies her brother for his relaxed lifestyle and contentment.

The TV shows a crash at the San Francisco airport of a plane carrying summer camp students from Shanghai. At least two girls died, and Ava is disturbed by the news, seeing it as more evidence of China’s corruption, which she observed firsthand.