Astrid's first foster home is with Star, former stripper and drug abuser. Within this foster home Astrid is often faced with new difficulties but learns from them. It is at this first foster home that Astrid discovers the second meaning of the white oleander, beauty. Ray, Star's husband, actually cares about Astrid and this is new to her. For once in her life she feels special. But as Star had previously suspected, Astrid was having sexual relations with Ray. This caused Star to drink again and in the end lose her temper and nearly kill Astrid. After the incident Astrid is moved to the next foster home.
Now living with the Turlocks Astrid becomes an unpaid babysitter. Through the shrouded cloud of unimportance Astrid sees a small light, a possible target for her obsession with affection. This target is named Olivia Johnstone, a professional prostitute. With the small hint of attention Astrid again becomes bound to receiving love. It is also within this first foster home that Astrid begins to use drugs. She gets her first fix by performing oral sex in a park in exchange for a bag of marijuana. The night of her birthday when she decides to go for a walk past curfew and she is attacked by a dog leaving scars across her body. Astrids stay in this foster home ends Christmas night when she stays the night at Olivia's, drunk and under the influence of marijuana. The next day she is expelled from school and the turlocks send her back to foster care. Within this home Astrid learns the third meaning of the White oleander, deception.
Astrids next foster home is the home of a hispanic women named Amelia. While her stay here is short it is important. At this home Astrid and a few other girls are starved to the point where they stop menstruating. Astrid resorts to eating trash at school and unfinished lunches, eventually she gets a caseworker and decides to leave. It is at this foster home that Astrid learns the fourth meaning of the White Oleander, independence.
Now at her fourth foster home Astrid lives with former actress Claire Richards and her husband, Ron. This home is an entirely new experience for astrid. At this home Astrid receives all the attention she could ever wish for. Claire raises Astrid like shes the daughter she never had. But as life there continues Claire becomes interested Astrid's mother and they begin to correspond. While Claire is oblivious to Ingrids game Astrid sees it all. Ingrid uncovers the innocence of Claire and shows Astrid how weak she is. Claire has little confidence and often has conflict with ron. Its this low confidence that ingrid uses to her advantage to get under Claires skin to slowing destroy her using manipulation. Even after this example Astrid continues to shut out her mother until one night after a big fight with Ron Claire ODs and dies next to Astrid. In this foster learns the fifth meaning of the White Oleander, regret.
“Let me tell you a few things about regret...There is no end to it. You cannot find the beginning of the chain that brought us from there to here. Should you regret the whole chain, and the air in between, or each link separately as if you could uncouple them? Do you regret the beginning which ended so badly, or just the ending itself?”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander
After a short stay in another foster care center Astrid is now at her final foster home. The lady who adopted her was a russian immigrant named Rena Grushenka. In this home drugs were a constant. This girls often scavenged for money and sold homemade things just to get by. Astrid tried the best she could not to become a part of the family fearing she would forget the pain she has gone through. Astrid also has sexual relations with Rena's boyfriend, Sergei. In this last foster home Astrid learns the sixth meaning of the White Oleander, survival. While Astrid is waiting to turn 18 her mother is busy forming a large group of followers, fans, and admirers. Its these innocent people that ingrid plans to use to bail her way out of jail early.
Now the story fast-tracks two years. Astrid is now living in an apartment in berlin germany with a boy she met at a previous foster care center, Paul. They are trying to make a living off of Paul's comics and her artwork but they are still very poor and live in a freezing apartment. One day Paul comes home with the paper that headlined the release of Astrid's mother. This is when Astrid learns the final meaning of the White Oleander, importance of the past.
“I wanted to hear what she was saying. I wanted to smell that burnt midnight again, I wanted to feel that wind. It was a secret wanting, like a song I couldn't stop humming, or loving someone I could never have. No matter where I went, my compass pointed west. I would always know what time it was in California.”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander
Now living with the Turlocks Astrid becomes an unpaid babysitter. Through the shrouded cloud of unimportance Astrid sees a small light, a possible target for her obsession with affection. This target is named Olivia Johnstone, a professional prostitute. With the small hint of attention Astrid again becomes bound to receiving love. It is also within this first foster home that Astrid begins to use drugs. She gets her first fix by performing oral sex in a park in exchange for a bag of marijuana. The night of her birthday when she decides to go for a walk past curfew and she is attacked by a dog leaving scars across her body. Astrids stay in this foster home ends Christmas night when she stays the night at Olivia's, drunk and under the influence of marijuana. The next day she is expelled from school and the turlocks send her back to foster care. Within this home Astrid learns the third meaning of the White oleander, deception.
Astrids next foster home is the home of a hispanic women named Amelia. While her stay here is short it is important. At this home Astrid and a few other girls are starved to the point where they stop menstruating. Astrid resorts to eating trash at school and unfinished lunches, eventually she gets a caseworker and decides to leave. It is at this foster home that Astrid learns the fourth meaning of the White Oleander, independence.
Now at her fourth foster home Astrid lives with former actress Claire Richards and her husband, Ron. This home is an entirely new experience for astrid. At this home Astrid receives all the attention she could ever wish for. Claire raises Astrid like shes the daughter she never had. But as life there continues Claire becomes interested Astrid's mother and they begin to correspond. While Claire is oblivious to Ingrids game Astrid sees it all. Ingrid uncovers the innocence of Claire and shows Astrid how weak she is. Claire has little confidence and often has conflict with ron. Its this low confidence that ingrid uses to her advantage to get under Claires skin to slowing destroy her using manipulation. Even after this example Astrid continues to shut out her mother until one night after a big fight with Ron Claire ODs and dies next to Astrid. In this foster learns the fifth meaning of the White Oleander, regret.
“Let me tell you a few things about regret...There is no end to it. You cannot find the beginning of the chain that brought us from there to here. Should you regret the whole chain, and the air in between, or each link separately as if you could uncouple them? Do you regret the beginning which ended so badly, or just the ending itself?”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander
After a short stay in another foster care center Astrid is now at her final foster home. The lady who adopted her was a russian immigrant named Rena Grushenka. In this home drugs were a constant. This girls often scavenged for money and sold homemade things just to get by. Astrid tried the best she could not to become a part of the family fearing she would forget the pain she has gone through. Astrid also has sexual relations with Rena's boyfriend, Sergei. In this last foster home Astrid learns the sixth meaning of the White Oleander, survival. While Astrid is waiting to turn 18 her mother is busy forming a large group of followers, fans, and admirers. Its these innocent people that ingrid plans to use to bail her way out of jail early.
Now the story fast-tracks two years. Astrid is now living in an apartment in berlin germany with a boy she met at a previous foster care center, Paul. They are trying to make a living off of Paul's comics and her artwork but they are still very poor and live in a freezing apartment. One day Paul comes home with the paper that headlined the release of Astrid's mother. This is when Astrid learns the final meaning of the White Oleander, importance of the past.
“I wanted to hear what she was saying. I wanted to smell that burnt midnight again, I wanted to feel that wind. It was a secret wanting, like a song I couldn't stop humming, or loving someone I could never have. No matter where I went, my compass pointed west. I would always know what time it was in California.”
― Janet Fitch, White Oleander