Women's shelter newsletter

The women's shelter newsletter Millie receives in her email inbox is a symbol of the downward spiral of depression she experienced before the events of the novel. She briefly volunteered at a women's shelter, which she still remembers bragging about as an example of her "worldliness and sophistication" (40), but one day overslept and did not make it to her shift, then never went back. She feels too "humiliated" by the experience to unsubscribe from the newsletter, and when she sees it in her inbox, she declares it a "weird reminder of my failures" (40).

Elodie's dog

Millie's co-worker Elodie's new dog is a symbol of the vast chasm of difference that Millie sees between her own life and the lives of the people around her. She listens to Elodie telling another co-worker about considering hiring a dog walker, and wondering if she will have to...