Anonymous Tip: In Which Peter Is Condescending

A Review Series of Anonymous Tip, by Michael Farris

Pp. 88-89

This week we’re still with Gwen, who last week contemplated kidnapping her four-year-old daughter, Casey, out of her temporary foster home—a foster home that we have heard almost nothing about. We know next to nothing about how Casey is faring, though we do know that Farris presented the foster parents in a fairly positive light when Casey was handed over. Today we get to see Gwen hand over the account of the social worker visits that lawyer Peter asked her to write up for him.

Gwen started and sat straight up in bed when the alarm sounded at 7:00 a.m. She felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. After showering and dressing quickly she headed down the South Hill to Peter’s office downtown. She arrived early but was not surprised Peter was already there. Nor was she surprised when she was ushered into his office immediately. For whatever reason, Peter was obviously going out of his way to place her case as the highest priority on his schedule. She both appreciated and was puzzled by this fact.

I’ve been trying to figure out how I would respond if I were in Gwen’s shoes. I feel like appreciation and puzzlement would be accompanied by suspicion, especially if I had already been sexually harassed by my previous lawyer. After all, why would this lawyer be dropping everything—and I do mean everything—to work her case practically for free if he wasn’t looking for something in return?

Here, as with elsewhere, I feel like Farris has to struggle to put himself in his characters’ shoes. He can’t put together believable motives for social worker Donna because he honestly doesn’t know what makes social workers tick. He can’t get into Gwen’s head either, and in trying what he actually does is insert what he thinks she should be thinking. And so we have a Gwen who is puzzled and grateful, but not at all suspicious or concerned.

Peter starts by introducing Gwen to Sally.

“Sally, this is Gwen Landis, our newest client, and Gwen, this is Sally Finley, the best legal secretary in Spokane.”

Sally blushed modestly. She had heard the line before but was glad of Peter’s praise. She wasn’t sure she was the best in Spokane, but she was very content to have a boss who made her feel that way on a regular basis.

Oh awesome, Farris finds a way to make Peter’s attempt to praise Sally all about Peter and how awesome he is. Everyone adores him! Peter the great! Peter the magnificent! Teenage girls giggle as he passes and flower petals cover the ground behind him. Oh wait, Farris only said one of those two things. My bad.

I also want to point, again, to the head hopping going on here. Rather than picking a character and sticking with that character’s point of view, Farris hops from head to head to head in essentially every passage.

“I’m happy to meet you, Gwen,” Sally replied. “Please feel free to call me any time. I can usually locate Peter anywhere in the world.”

“Thanks, that’s reassuring,” Gwen said, a bit uncomfortable with all the attention.

I’m trying to figure out what Farris is trying to say about Gwen’s character here. Is it that she’s demure? Shy? Unassuming? Look, Gwen is a nurse. She spends her day interacting with a large array of people. I am a bit at a loss as to why her lawyer introducing her to his secretary would make her feel “uncomfortable with all the attention.”

Anyway, Gwen hands over “a nine-page handwritten document,” her account of what happened during the two social worker visits, and Peter responds by telling her that “if the microfiche ever goes on the blink at the law library, you could get a job.” Farris mentions Gwen’s “tiny, precise penmanship,” and Gwen laughs at Peter’s quip. I feel like Gwen’s ability to laugh at Peter’s joke is meant to say something about her character as well—she’s able to laugh at men’s jokes, unlike someone like Donna (presumably).

Anyway, Peter tells Gwen that he’ll read her account once she’s gone, which surprises Gwen as she expected him to ask her questions about it on the spot.

Next comes this exchange:

“Well, today I’m going to get Gordon’s affidavit signed, pick up the tape of yesterday’s hearing, and see if I can get Judge Romer to sign an order allowing us to take Casey to Dr. Schram for our own examination.”

“Wont’ that be a lot of exams for a four-year-old? Two psychologists and a physician in one week,” Gwen said with real concern in her voice.

“You’re right,” Peter said shaking his head. “But I’m afraid it can’t be avoided. You never know how their exam is going to come out and we must be prepared.”

“But the psychological tests they give are so routine. Couldn’t we just have our doctor review the test results and not give a whole separate battery?” Gwen asked.

“Well, I’ll talk with Dr. Schram. We’ll do whatever we can to limit the examination time and yet still do a thorough job,” Peter replied. It was obvious that Gwen had a mind of her own and he would have to be ready to explain decisions in clear terms and not simply to to blow past her with a stuffy “it’s-my-professional-opinion” kind of answer.

And that’s it. Gwen leaves, giving Peter a “genuine and warm” smile. Peter is “surprised at her suddenness” and notes that “normally clients like to chat all day.”

I am quite honestly really horrified by this section. Could Peter be more condescending? He supposedly realizes that he has to actually explain his decisions to Gwen, but then he does not explain anything. Would it be so hard for him to explain why they need an independent evaluation, and why they can’t just have their psychologist look at the other psychologist’s report? There are reasons for these things, after all! Is explaining these reasons so hard?

And frankly, Peter’s use of “in clear terms” sounds like code for “in ways lady brains can understand,” though I could be wrong given that he contrasts this to giving a stuffy “it’s-my-professional-opinion” answer. At the very least “in clear terms” appears to mean “allay the client’s fears without actually telling them anything.”

And so, according to Farris, Peter now recognizes that Gwen wants to know why he’s doing things and making the decisions he is, and yet he does nothing to actually meet this desire. Instead he pats her on the head. This makes me really upset. Peter has an opportunity here to actually explain things to Gwen, to bring her on board in a way, and he recognizes this opportunity but then drops the ball entirely.

I’m not sure whether I’m more frustrated by Peter’s condescension toward Gwen or by Farris’s inability to get inside his characters’ heads. Or perhaps the two are related. Perhaps Farris is able to get inside Peter’s head and Peter’s only.