Educated: A Memoir

Westover reflects on the peak of her emotional breakdown. Back at Cambridge, she realized she was failing her PhD. She had not sent work to her advisor in over a year, and he suggested that she quit the program. Although she desperately wanted to, she was too distraught to begin working again.

That autumn, Tyler confronted Faye and Gene. He talked to Faye first, who claimed she was on Tyler and Westover’s side, that Gene would take care of things with Shawn. Two days later, Tyler called Westover. He had talked to Gene, who angrily told Tyler that if he brought up anything about Shawn again, he would be disowned. Shawn called Tyler immediately after and told him that he could have Tyler out of the family in two minutes, remarking: “Just ask Tara” (316). Tyler blamed himself, and Westover believed he would side with the rest of the family, just like Audrey did.

In October, she received a letter in an email attachment from Tyler and his wife, Stefanie. The email said it was sent to Faye and Gene too. Westover could not bring herself to open the letter; she knew that it would confirm what she had suspected, that Tyler would denounce her.