Mother-daughter relationships are a crucial theme throughout the novel. Three mothers feature prominently in this book: Constance deShiel, Eleanor’s mother; Eleanor, mother of Deborah, Alice, Clementine, and Theo/Bertie; and Sadie Sparrow, whose daughter Charlotte Sutherland/Esther was surrendered for adoption. There is also the Nancy-Maggie-Caitlyn triad. Motherhood is not an easy thing for any of these characters, and each one handles motherhood differently.

Constance is a very hands-off mother. She is described as “a cold, distant figure who’d never liked [Eleanor]” (86). Constance herself referred to her daughter as a “little stranger” (169). Needless to say, their relationship was very strained. In fact, there was even an aspect of Constance’s behavior that Eleanor abhorred: Constance was promiscuous and repeatedly cheated on Eleanor’s father. As a daughter, Eleanor is still respectful and caring, allowing Constance to live with her and Anthony at Loeanneth. It is interesting to note that Eleanor ends up committing the same “sin” of infidelity with Ben (87).

On the other hand, before Anthony’s problems with PTSD, Eleanor was the antithesis to her mother in the way she loved and treated her daughters. For Eleanor, being a mother was a joy. Her love for her children causes Eleanor to sacrifice herself for their happiness by taking on the Mother alter ego.