“It was unusual for a family dinner to conclude without either their father reciting poetry or their mother reciting her saints.”

Charlie and Rose Padavano are foils for one another; Rose is practical and focused on the success of her daughters, while Charlie is introspective and prefers contemplating the deeper aspects of existence. This contrast is shown through Charlie’s love of poetry and Rose’s religious devotion. The Padavano sisters grow up with the twin influences of Catholicism and literature, and these influences continue to impact them in their adulthood.

“The idea of love in those books—Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina—is that it’s a force that obliterates you. They’re all tragedies, Sylvie. Think about it; those novels all end with despair, or death.”

While Julia pursues traditional notions of success—a degree, marriage, a career—Sylvie dreams of a great romantic love like the ones represented in her favorite novels. However, Julia cautions her that all these novels end in tragedy, foreshadowing both the great romance and tragedy that will befall Sylvie later in life.

“In the heat of the news the day before, she hadn’t considered that Cecelia was repeating their mother’s history. Rose had gotten pregnant with Julia when she was nineteen and unmarried, and Rose’s mother had stopped speaking to her.”

Cecelia's pregnancy and her mother's reaction to it mirror what happened with Rose and her mother. Despite the difference in time period, having a child out of wedlock is still seen by the older Catholic women as a sin. This highlights the idea that children can repeat their parents’ mistakes without realizing it and that one shouldn’t follow traditions blindly.