Content Warning: This section of the guide deals with themes related to the Nazi occupation of Paris during WWII, the Holocaust, war and its traumatic effects, concentration camps, extermination camps, antisemitism, intense racism, sexism, and genocide.

 “‘Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.’

– Robert Browning”

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was an English poet during the Victorian era. He was happily married to the famous poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), with whom he had one son. This quotes marks the opening of Part 1 and introduces one of the most important themes of the novel, that of maternal love and duty. This foreshadows much of the content of the novel.

“But instead of the crisp avian sketches she expected to see, her page was filled with an angry tangle of lines and curves. She stared at it in disbelief for a second before ripping it from the pad, balling it up, and crumpling it with a little scream of frustration. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against fisted palms. How was it that everything she did seemed to turn out wrong these days?

She stood abruptly, her pulse racing. She couldn’t keep doing this: going for long walks that led nowhere, returning home with her thoughts still tangled, her hands still idle.”

Elise’s inability to create art to her own satisfaction reflects her general state of turmoil and dissatisfaction in the opening of the novel, reinforcing the link between art, fate, and identity. Prior to meeting Juliette, she is isolated, excluded from Olivier’s artistic circles due to her gender, othered by her American origins, and disillusioned by the realities of her imperfect marriage. The violence of her reaction also echoes the turbulence of the world around her and creates an uneasy mood indicative of the setting in a world on the brink of the Second World War (WWII).

“So no, she could not bear the thought of leaving another pregnant woman alone if her baby was in peril. What if something went wrong? Perhaps this was a test from God. She would not fail, not this time.”

In this quote, Juliette equates helping Elise with the potential for redemption for Antoinette’s death. This shows the guilt that Juliette feels, despite her lack of culpability in the