Seeing August
When Olivia was little, she was so used to August that she did not understand how other people could find his face shocking or horrifying. She knew he looked different, but people’s reactions seemed completely overblown. They made her furious, and she sometimes shouted at people—even grown-ups—who stared at her brother in public.
At the age of eleven or so, Olivia spent four weeks with her grandmother, whom she called Grans, while August recovered from a big jaw surgery. It was Olivia’s first long trip away from home, and she loved the way she and Grans could walk around without attracting attention. She felt free because August was not there.
Grans was an...