The major thread that runs throughout this novel is the damaging effects of secrets and lies upon the family. The catastrophe without catharsis of the "family secret" Lila forces her children to keep becomes central to the story of mental imbalance and desperation. The already flawed Savannah is driven to self-destruction by having no opportunity to cleanse herself of the defilement she suffers during the rape. She is so bound to the promise never to speak of it and her mother's insistence that it "never happened" that Savannah has never breathed a word of it to her psychiatrist. Tom makes the decision to break the silence that brings forth a gusher of release both for himself and for his twin sister. Once that is accomplished, they are able to confront their feelings about.....
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