Christine's letters

The half-written letters to Lydia and Alex that Isobel sees when she visits Christine are a symbol of Christine's anger about their affair and her inability to effectively express her emotions. Each letter is just a fragment: "the same letter begun again, over and over. Dear Alex, I feel so Dear Alex, I can't get over...I feel crushed. Alex, I know that I haven't been...I'm so angry Dear Alex, How could you, what did you think I'd..." (194). Christine has always been stoic, almost to the point of being repressed. In the wake of such forceful emotions, she is incapable of adequately expressing herself.