Survivor's Guilt

Throughout much of GG’s story, it is clear that she feels guilty for surviving the famine, even before it is revealed that she is actually Mila. However, by convincing her to share everything she remembers, Matthew gives GG a chance to forgive herself and pass on without any regrets.

At first, GG’s regrets are shown through subtle words and descriptions that the most astute readers will pick up on. The best example of this is when Matthew learns that GG did not even want to leave the nursing home, despite it not being the best place to live. When he asks his mother about it, she says, “[GG] said if she got Covid, she got Covid. She’d lived longer than she should. She wanted to die already. She didn’t want to burden me” (29). This lines up with the constant guilt and...