The Drowning Woman

An important motif throughout the novel is food. Lee’s former career as a restaurateur and references to food demonstrate the difference between her previous life and her circumstances during the novel. Whereas she previously worked in restaurants that served “bone marrow croquettes, cured scallops, Wagyu carpaccio” (14), when she’s without identification, she’s only able to work in a diner in Seattle where “each item is a heart attack on a plate” (13). The difference in cuisine, particularly given Lee’s passion for cooking, shows how much her life has changed.

In terms of her own eating habits, food has become a survival necessity for Lee while she’s living in poverty. Additionally, she views food as comfort and connection. When she meets Jesse, he gives her an orange, and “it’s not a particularly good orange—a bit stringy—but [she] eat[s] it ravenously” (17). In addition to providing the vitamin C she desperately needs since she’s sick, Lee sees the orange as an important point of connection with Jesse and an example (ultimately false) of his kindness. Similarly, Lee is impressed with Hazel’s baking; when Hazel brings Lee a scone after their chance meeting outside the oyster bar, Lee thinks about how she’d “forgive almost anything for this” (79).