Content Warning: This section of the guide details substance use, heavy alcohol consumption, physical and emotional abuse, domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and death by suicide.

Down the Drain traces Fox’s journey from childhood through adulthood to explore her gradual journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. The memoir follows a linear structure and chronologically traces Fox’s experiences, coming of age, and becoming an adult. Julia’s life in New York City is significant to how she understands herself over time. Moving to the city with her dad in 1996 inspires Julia to see herself as a person with potential and possibility. The city offers her opportunities and consistently encourages her to take control of her future and identity, even in the most tumultuous periods of her life. From a young age, she takes risks and makes rebellious choices that give her independence and autonomy. In time, Julia learns how to claim her identity and stand up for herself to those who try to limit her freedom or control her self-expression. These challenges are particularly trying when Julia feels that others are “projecting [their] own limitations onto [her]” (32).