The family in this novel is fractured by the tragedy, but the novel ends with the possibility of renewal between Lena and Teresa. The novel actually ends with a beginning, with Teresa deciding to move in and live with her mother. This decision in itself is just the start of a long journey whose outcome neither mother nor daughter can predict. But for me as reader and writer of the story, I was more concerned that these two women at least take the first steps toward healing rather than with showing the conclusion of that process. Generally I write at least three to four days a week for three to four hours.
Many writers say their goal in writing novels is to offer their readers a well-crafted tale.
I have been gratified by readers who have told me that they identified with Ryland and Lena and Teresa as a family, saw shadows of their own domestic struggles even though they had not lost a child in the way that Kenya is lost.