Grief

Processing and overcoming grief is a focal point of the novel. Some, like Clara, advocate confronting and dwelling on grief. Patrick, however, believes that building happy memories is more important, but leans toward avoiding it entirely. By the end, it is established that there is no wrong way to manage one's grief, especially if they do so with friends and family.

Clara’s view of managing grief is much more stringent and melancholy than Patrick’s. She sees it as something that must be managed head on, and frowns on Patrick’s attempts to help the children circumvent their sadness. For example, Clara is visibly upset when Patrick tells her, “They just lost their mother. You and I lost a sister-in-law. I lost a friend. We’ve been getting comfortable in our unhappiness, with the fact that life is often unpleasant, and we don’t need...