Blue Sisters

In the wake of their argument, each of the sisters finds a different form of catharsis and achieves significant character development. They do so in different ways: Lucky attends her first AA meeting, Bonnie confesses her feelings to Pavel, and Avery goes to visit their mother and talks openly with her for the first time. Each of these experiences reflects the importance of honesty: When each of the women accepts the reality of her situation and stops trying to run from it, they can begin to take the first steps toward healing. The open conflict between the sisters is cathartic, spurring them to voice the resentments they have been harboring in secret and to make changes in their individual lives. This progression illustrates the theme of Self-Discovery Through Sisterhood. Emotional authenticity is not depicted as particularly pleasurable, but it allows each of the sisters to step outside of their patterns of lying and repressing their true feelings.

Lucky initially employs her typical coping strategy: She drinks heavily and seeks an anonymous sexual encounter. However, Riley’s unexpected care successfully breaks down Lucky’s defenses, and she finally admits that she needs help. Lucky bluntly states “I’m not okay” (248), finally giving voice to the truth she has been avoiding and denying. Lucky’s admission that she needs to quit modeling and seek sobriety doesn’t single-handedly resolve her problems, as she continues to grapple with addiction even a decade later (as illustrated in the Epilogue). It does however represent significant growth for her character: Her honesty in this moment sets the stage for her to battle her addiction successfully. Even if Overcoming Addiction is a lifelong process, Riley’s honesty allows her to fact that process with self-confidence and community support. When Lucky attends her first AA meeting and reads aloud in front of the group, her character arc develops further; ironically, while Lucky constantly gets attention for her looks, she is very self-conscious about reading in front of others. This moment symbolizes Lucky finding her voice and marks the start of a new stage for her, in which she will go from passive, often sexualized object, to a creative and articulate subject who is comfortable performing her music in front of crowds of fans. Lucky herself thinks of this moment as “a miracle […] a small one, […] but a miracle nonetheless” (261).

Bonnie likewise has a breakthrough when she takes the risk to confide her feelings to Pavel. This moment of honesty and vulnerability changes the arc of her character and sets her on the road to being a wife and eventually a mother, as she has long desired. Bonnie is able to embrace both her strength and her femininity: Significantly, she goes dancing with other members of her boxing gym on the night that she confides her feelings to Pavel. Dancing represents another way of using her body that is more sensual, creative, and free; Bonnie is able to step into a new sense of self and feel more confident taking risks. When Bonnie tells Pavel about her feelings, she challenges him to speak as “if [he] weren’t afraid” (283). The delicacy and tenderness with which Bonnie and Pavel encounter one another juxtaposes with their strength and dexterity as athletes but sets them both free.

Meanwhile, Avery achieves perhaps the most significant healing because she returns to one of the key sources of the sisters’ dysfunctional childhood dynamic: their mother. Avery for once stops trying to be perfect and confesses her honest emotions while also asking their mother about her own experiences. Avery is able to feel empathy for her mother, especially because she has recently acted in ways that she never imagined she would act within her own marriage. As a parentified child, the only person who can offer Avery the moral absolution she craves is her mother, and so when her mother assures Avery that she is not responsible for Nicky’s death, Avery finally finds relief from her shame and guilt. This emotional authenticity frees her to be honest with herself and with Chiti. Like Lucky’s attempt at sobriety, Avery’s decision to admit she doesn’t want children is not an easy path, but it does begin to move her toward a more authentic future.

After Chiti leaves, Avery swims in a local pond. The swimming imagery reflects the symbolism of rebirth and renewal; the womb is a watery environment, and bodies of water often symbolize a kind of rebirth or new beginning. Immersion in a body of water can also symbolize baptism, and Avery’s swim reflects her new commitment and a kind of spiritual rebirth. This imagery foreshadows the further symbolism of birth and renewal that appears in the epilogue when Bonnie gives birth to her daughter. While the novel’s plot is sparked by a death, it concludes with a birth, symbolizing hope, renewal, and resilience. As Bonnie gives birth to a daughter and names her Nicole, the sisters return to a state of wholeness as a foursome rather than a trio. They will never be past grieving Nicky, but the novel’s conclusion shows that The Enduring Impact of Grief does not preclude the possibility of hope.