How did you explain Leah’s presence, particularly when she first appeared to Niamh? Did you have any theories? Did you consider her Annie’s “muse”?
I think Leah’s presence was more of a helping hand
I thought Leah’s presence would be a temporary thing, following the mother’s death - a way to pull close to her mother. I did not expect it to continue throughout the story and was disappointed that it did. I have not decided about her being a muse, the way Leah’s character was handled. Just too much unreal involvement for me.
I thought that Leah was the result of Niamh’s grief; a figment of her imagination to be closer to her mom.
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That was what I was trying to say in my post.
I think Leah was a safe way for Niamh to process her feelings about her mothers death.
I think Leah was the thing Niamh needed at the time to deal with her grief. She wasn’t real just Niamh’s way of processing her mother’s death and the feelings she had about their relationship.
Leah was there to help Niamh with the next chapter of her life, including grieving her mother, dealing with her insecurities and planning her future. I wasn’t surprised that she stayed throughout the book nor would be surprised if she showed up in the next. I enjoyed her presence, her “clicking” and their deepening relationship, even if Leah wasn’t real.
I feel she was there to help her through the healing process. /She had no one to depend on after her mother’s death, perhaps her step mom but certainly not her father. Leah was that person.
Leah’s appearance in the story was surprising. However, maybe this was a way for Niamh to process her mother’s unexpected death. That said, I had difficulty imagining that Niamh was really seeing Leah.
I agree that Leah was one way to help Niamh process her grief over her mother’s death. She also gave a voice to Niamh’s intuition that there was more to the story than a simple accident. Leah represented Niamh’s curiosity and skepticism.
I didn’t think Leah was real, but a means that Niamh was able to use to work through her grief. Naimh was suspicious of her mother’s death and used Leah to investigate. Using Leah also helped Niamh to come out of her shell, out of the house, driving, talking to others.
Niamh assumed Leah was the perfect daughter in Annie’s view. It made sense that Leah could be an inspiration as well as a motivator to Niamh to inspire more confidence in investigating what happened to her mother.