But beneath the veneer of youthful ease, each harbored her own private pain, hoping that time, eventually, would bury it. The Mothers shower praise on Aubrey, who throws herself fully into the strictures of the community, committing to chastity promises and volunteer hours. Aubrey eventually tells Nadia about her emotionally absent mother, but never dares to reveal what her mother’s boyfriend did to her when he snuck into her bedroom night after night. Eventually, both girls see Luke as a sort of surrogate for what they’ve lost, for the lives they could’ve had. Of Luke’s God-fearing mother, Bennett writes, “A daughter grows older and draws nearer to her mother, until she gradually overlaps her like a sewing pattern.

Source: Huffington Post October 06, 2016 12:22 UTC