Reminders of Him

Forgiveness often suggests religious institutions or divine intervention. In the novel, forgiveness is an expression of people, not gods, who are willing to acknowledge that they are imperfect. They are all struggling to manifest good intentions and to be kind, but they inevitably fail at critical moments in a world that is, to borrow from Kenna, a “cruel, cruel thing, the way it picks and chooses who to bully” (116). Kenna comes out of prison needing forgiveness from Scotty’s parents, from her young daughter, from the self-righteous people in her hometown, and from herself.

As the novel reveals what happened the night of the accident, the idea of forgiveness seems justified and logical. According to her account, Kenna has paid way in excess of what she did and, as Ledger argues, what she did does not square with the price she has paid.

In the absence of a divinity able to dispense forgiveness, then, Kenna relies on earning that measure of emotional validation through her engagement of Scotty’s mother. The events in the narrative center on Mother’s Day. As a mother herself, one who knows firsthand the grievous pain of being denied her child, Kenna hopes that Grace (as her name suggests) will gift her with the grace of forgiveness. Their embrace after Grace reads Kenna’s poignant letter recounting the night of the accident marks Kenna’s moment of emotional release. Both Grace and Kenna feel the power of forgiveness, and Grace tells Kenna: “When I awoke this morning, it was if an overwhelming sensation of peace had washed over me” (300). After Kenna meets Diem, Grace and Kenna hug again, mother to mother. Grace comforts Kenna: “I forgive you and you forgive me, and we go forward together and give that little girl the best life we can” (308). Kenna breaks down into tears: “It’s myself I’ve been hard on. But I think I’ve reached the point that forgiving myself finally feels okay” (308).