Despite the novel’s misleading use of another character’s name in the title, Hazel Linden is the book’s protagonist and point-of-view character. The narrative follows her at different points in her life, primarily at ages 15 and 36, with intermediate points in time in between. Despite the changes that Hazel undergoes throughout her life, there are a few consistent through-lines that characterize her identity. The first is her devotion and sense of responsibility toward her sister. This is clear both when Flora is physically present as well as when Flora is a memory that takes on mythic proportions. Regardless of what else is happening in Hazel’s mental sphere, Hazel constantly “kept her eyes peeled for a girl with blond curls, laughing in the woodlands of her imagination” (271).

Hazel’s sense of responsibility for Flora is born out of a deep and intense sisterly love but also a need to step into a maternal role and prove herself as someone worthy of the challenge. This becomes an obsession that overrides all else, becoming an instinct more maternal than sororal. For example, when Hazel spends her first morning with Bridie, she conducts herself with careful grace and deportment to prove that Bridie has made a safe choice; when called by Flora in a panic, however, Hazel hurls herself toward her sister and stomps on Bridie’s foot along the way.