Memory

The author uses the theme of memory as a way to connect the living and the dead. The alternating perspectives of Pearl and Ada give insight into how the reader can complete the memory. If Pearl remembers being at the river, Ada thinks of watching her mother from the house.

Ada has conversations with Pearl’s ghost. However, the conversations could easily be Ada’s memories of her mother informing how her mother would react to Ada. This is seen when Pearl comments about the changes in Ada’s body and her comments about Tristan’s age.

Returning to the house prompts Ada to remember pieces of her childhood. She finds that her memory is not always reliable. When she sees the mixing bowls in the kitchen, she remembers the markings on the bowl differently.

As Pearl makes her way down the river, she remembers different...