Down the Drain

Throughout the memoir, New York City is symbolic of possibility and opportunity. Julia feels she is on the verge of a fresh start when she moves to the city to live with her dad, Tom Fox, in 1996. “[T]his sprawling city” both terrifies and enchants her from a young age (1). She’s a newcomer as a child but understands the significance of what the city offers her. Fox vividly details the environment’s sights and sounds throughout the memoir, capturing her visceral and emotional connection with the place. The “unique blend of roasted peanuts, molten concrete, and car exhaust” ignites her excitement and grants her a sense of newness and hope (3).

Even when Julia experiences difficult times, she remains connected to this urban environment. New York is the primary backdrop for her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. She therefore has a historical attachment to the place and fundamentally believes in its empowering capacities. Indeed, New York consistently promises Julia future adventures, discoveries, relationships, and possibilities. No matter how often she says goodbye to the city, she always returns. Her consistent connection with the place proves its power and ability to offer her new chances and new iterations of herself over time.