Content Warning: This section of the guide describes the novel’s treatment of substance misuse disorders, mental health conditions, death by suicide, child abuse, and domestic abuse.

In the novel, the bond between Vivi and Sidda represents the tenacity of mother-daughter bonds. It survives complications and misunderstandings, which is a testament to its strength. It is a biological and emotional bond that is connected to memory and shared experiences. The novel opens with a conflict between Sidda and her mother after Sidda’s interview is published in the New York Times; in it, Sidda criticizes Vivi’s parenting, which causes a rift between them. The novel begins with this conflict and charts their journey to eventual reconciliation.

When Vivi and Sidda are angry with one another and not communicating, their unhappiness spills over into every aspect of their lives; this shows the importance of their bond since they are very disturbed when it is broken. Their conflict is really the result of years of unspoken resentment simmering between them. Sidda harbors anger and pain because she remembers Vivi physically abusing her and her siblings, and she also recalls her mother’s multiple absences from the family. When Sidda was a child, her world revolved around her mother—the way Vivi smelled, looked, spoke—and she was deeply traumatized by Vivi’s abandonment.