Bridging the Divide:NepentheBio

Julia Ward was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. Her parents, Daniel and Eileen, were both from old money families and successful in their own rights, he an author and she a clinical psychologist. Julia was not planned; indeed, she came along late in her parent's lives when they'd both already gotten comfortable with the idea of remaining childless and focusing on themselves. Being the devout catholic she was, though, Eileen would hear no talk of her husband's 'alternatives'.

The pregnancy was difficult and full of complications, as they often are for a woman in her mid-forties. Julia was born on a crisp November night, the fifth, into the waiting arms of exhausted and apathetic parents. Eileen suffered from severe postpartum and could hardly stand to be in the same room as the baby, and Daniel's approach to childcare involved a steady stream of nannies while he holed up in his study. After a few months Eileen decided to return to work, and Daniel left on a tour to promote his new book. Only the na