Susanna rubs Frida’s back as if they’re friends. The girl is on a mission to nice her to death... Even on days when [Susanna] does nothing but childcare, she wears black winged eyeliner and dresses like a teenager, carrying herself with a confidence that Frida never possessed.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Frida resents Susanna’s youth and beauty. All of Susanna’s attempts at kindness only anger Frida, who wishes her gone from her life. Moreover, the younger woman is a living representation of the dissolution of Frida’s marriage. It is not until Susanna gives birth to an ill baby that Frida empathizes with her.

What [Frida] can’t explain, what she doesn’t want to admit, what she’s not sure she remembers correctly: how she felt a sudden pleasure when she shut the door and got in the car that took her away from her mind and body and...
-- Narrator (chapter 1)