Emily, a Scottish girl, has always felt like an outsider in her family, particularly among her triplet sisters. She's convinced she's adopted and that her parents are liars. As she grows older, she becomes fixated on finding her real mother. When a woman named Gladys moves in next door, Emily becomes suspicious that Gladys might be her biological mother. As Emily gets to know Gladys, she discovers that Gladys is a kind and book-loving person, but Gladys keeps pushing Emily away. Eventually, Emily discovers that Gladys is not her biological mother, but rather a woman who lost her own daughter and became attached to Emily. In a surprise twist, Emily's mother reveals that Emily is actually her niece, not her daughter, and that her real mother has passed away. Emily comes to terms with the truth and finds closure, realizing that she has two loving women in her life who care for her deeply.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, EmilĂn, is from Scotland and has been aware since childhood that she is adopted.
2. EmilĂn has two sisters, Daisy Rose, who are triplets, but they look nothing like her.
3. EmilĂn's sisters have red hair, green eyes, and freckles, while EmilĂn has blonde hair and blue eyes.
4. On their third birthday, EmilĂn's parents invited neighbors over, and they stared at her as if she were an exotic animal.
5. EmilĂn's sisters covered her head with ketchup to make her look like them.
6. EmilĂn's parents told her she was not adopted, but she didn't believe them.
7. In seventh grade, EmilĂn's sisters told her that she was adopted and that her real mother was next door.
8. EmilĂn met her neighbor, Gladys, who looked like her and was interested in Shakespeare.
9. EmilĂn's parents forbade her from seeing Gladys, claiming she was crazy.
10. EmilĂn started sneaking out to see Gladys, who became a source of comfort and information about her past.
11. Gladys revealed that she had a daughter who looked like EmilĂn but had died in an accident.
12. EmilĂn discovered a photo of Gladys with a child who looked like her, which Gladys claimed was her daughter.
13. EmilĂn's parents and Gladys got into a fight, revealing that EmilĂn's real mother was her aunt, who had died after giving birth.
14. EmilĂn's mother had promised her sister to raise EmilĂn as her own and never tell her the truth.
15. EmilĂn forgave her parents and Gladys, realizing they had all lost loved ones and were trying to make the best of the situation.
16. EmilĂn accepted both her mother and Gladys as her mothers, and they all found a sense of closure and healing.