Pieces of Her tracks the journey of a daughter discovering her mother’s buried past. However, the journey, and what she discovers, causes her to question not only her mother’s identity, but her own as well. Andy Oliver discovers that her idea of Laura is based on pieces, rather than the whole. As the novel progresses, she realizes that her understanding of her own identity is, to an extent, based on these pieces as well.

At the beginning of the novel, Andy believes she knows who Laura is. But even so, she sees her mother as somewhat unknowable. Gordon, Andy’s stepfather and Laura’s ex-husband, agrees: “When I first met your mom, I thought she was a puzzle. A fascinating, beautiful, complex puzzle. But then I realized that no matter how close I got to her, no matter what combination I tried, she would never really open up to me” (74). However, Laura skillfully handles the shooter at the diner and, when at the hospital, Andy notices her non-smoker mother take a cigarette from an orderly. Thus begins Andy’s questioning of Laura’s identity.

As the novel progresses, Laura’s façade continues to slip away. When Andy talks to Paula, she realizes that her mother’s obfuscation is purposeful: “[…] the different facets of her mother weren’t pieces of a whole, they were camouflage” (287).