Grief

Lily's overwhelming sadness and her father's actions after her mother's death show how different people handle grief and how important it is to work with what one needs to overcome it.

Since the narration follows Lily directly, it is her views on grief that the reader delves into and comes to understand the most. For Lily, the most important thing she needs to process her grief is mementos from her mother's life and the reassurance that her memory will survive. This is why she is so heartbroken when Eleanor begins using or tossing things that belonged to Lily's mother. It is not that Lily despises Eleanor. Instead, Lily cannot yet bear the thought of her mother being replaced. A part of Lily even worries that Eleanor is trying to erase her mother's memories in favor of building her own. When Eleanor tries to compare herself to...