Grief and Loss

Florence’s tragic death and its fallout characterize the novel as an allegory for grief and loss. Characters experience other types of loss as well: the loss of ideals, a future, and love. Beanland expertly weaves these different sorrows in order to create an intricate, layered plot.

The most obvious cause of grief in the novel would be Florence’s death. Her parents, Esther and Joseph, deeply suffer as a result of the loss of their youngest daughter. There are other, more subtle causes of grief as well. For instance, Gussie grieves the loss of a nuclear family. She frets over her father’s long absences and worries about her mother during her confinement. With Isaac’s departure at the end, it becomes clear that Gussie has lost the family she has known thus far. As for Anna, she grieves the loss of her...