Content Warning: This guide section depicts physical and emotional abuse.

The relationship between Carmel and Nell is the centerpiece of the novel. This dynamic informs the tensions that Enright often untangles in her work, much more than either woman’s relationships to the men in their lives since these men—Phil, Ronan, Felim, and David—merely expose or affect the way Carmel and Nell engage with each other.

The novel begins by showing that Nell values her independence from Carmel, which is typical of any woman entering new adulthood. They are not separated by a great distance, which enables Nell to visit Carmel on the weekends. When she does, however, she says very little about her life, which she ties to Carmel’s tendency to judge and downplay the suffering of others. Nell doesn’t fear Carmel’s judgment so much as she has learned to manage its inevitability in her life. What she wants but doesn’t get from Carmel is understanding. Instead, she turns to Phil’s poetry for support, unaware of the ways that Carmel has accidentally replicated her traumatic childhood with Nell.

Carmel embraces pragmatism in her solitary life and relationship with Nell. From her perspective, her quick judgment isn’t meant to invalidate the suffering of others but rather to encourage Nell to push on in the face of difficulty.