Justine's Photographs

Throughout the novel, the author often depicts Justine pouring over old photographs. These images of the past symbolize Justine's sense of loss and longing. The pictures transport her into those memories she was formerly unable to access. Often she experiences a revelation shortly thereafter. In this way, the photos create a bridge to memory and to healing.

Texas Storms

The storms that sweep incessantly through the Texas terrain symbolize restlessness. Throughout Justine and Reney's life in Texas, the tornadoes and wind storms both imitate and aggravate their psychological and emotional experiences. Through her narrative attention to these climatic events, the author creates a metaphoric relationship between her characters’ interior and exterior terrains.

Lula's Paintings

When Lula was a young woman, she was an artist, a dream she had to give up after her husband abandoned her and her daughters. So when Justine uncovers the paintings...