What parallels did you find between Bernie's life and Brid's? Did you sympathize with one character more than the other?

What parallels did you find between Bernie's life and Brid's? Did you sympathize with one character more than the other?

Both were unusual personalities somewhat "outcast" by the society of which they were a part; both were quite attached to and influenced by their mother; and both were exceptionally good keepers of secrets. I found both of them to be sympathetic characters.

Both Brid and Bernie as teenagers were pushed by their Mothers’ personality quirks to make life altering choices for which neither were prepared.

I had a little more trouble relating to Brid but liked Bernie and found her easier to relate to. I had a mother with some mental health issues so that certainly helped me sympathize.

Both Brid and Bernie finally made the decision to leave their mothers if necessary to live their own lives - although Bernie is in a much better place to do that than Brid was when she left.

I sympathized more with Bernie, wanting answers from her mother that just weren't coming. There was so much damage done to Bernie because her mother couldn't/wouldn't share her past.
To me these two were totally different individuals and Bernie's life was a direct result of her mother's issues.

Both Brid and Bernie were raised in dysfunctional households by mothers who were distant and for varying reasons not available. While Aoife was present in Brid’s life she was only interested in indoctrinating Bernie to the Cause. Brid smothered Bernie with love, but was unable to provide day to day support. Bernie didn’t know her father and while Brid loved her father he was not there to protect her from Aoife.

I actually found the character of Bernie a distraction. Brid did not allow Bernie into her life in Ireland so she has no relevance. Bernie’s teenage issues and absence of a father is fodder for a book, just not this one.

Both were teenagers with mothers that were evasive and had personality disorders, in my opinion. That made life hard to navigate for both of them , but in different ways. They both had unexpected and unwanted pregnancies, but dealt with them differently. I think it is important to understand the differences in the countries that they lived in. The US does provide many more freedoms than Brid felt in Ireland. I think both of them could have lived happier lives with mothers that were more open. I hope that Brid and Bernies relationship would have been better after their trip to Ireland and Brid was able to be more forthcoming with information that Bernie was starved to learn about.