The Forgotten Garden

“‘What I’m about to tell you is our family’s big secret. Every family’s got one, you can be sure of that. Some are just bigger than others.’” 

Aunt Phyllis’ observation is accurate, but she is completely unaware of the irony of her statement. Nell’s “big” secret is only the tip of the iceberg. Every member of the Mountrachet family has a secret to conceal. 

“‘She must have felt so alone when she realized she wasn’t who she’d thought she was.’” 

Cassandra makes this observation about Nell. The comment indicates her growing understanding of her grandmother’s personality. The comment is also descriptive of Cassandra’s own feelings after Lesley abandons her. 

“To abandon a child, she had once said to someone, when she thought Cassandra couldn’t hear, was an act so cold, so careless, it refused forgiveness.” 

Nell’s comment is an indictment of Lesley for leaving Cassandra. It also expresses her judgment of her own unknown mother. However, what Nell really can’t forgive is the psychological toll that abandonment took on her own life.