Character Analysis
Blythe Grey is Nora's mom, and at this point, you might be wondering, "What kind of mother lets her daughter have as much freedom as Nora does when there are fallen angels, angels of death, and stalkers in ski masks wandering around?" Fair enough.
It's not so much that Mrs. Grey is a bad parent as she is an absent and kind of clueless parent. With the death of Nora's father, Mrs. Grey took on a job coordinating estate and antique sales for an auction house, which has her out of town on business a lot. However, there are several instances in the book in which Nora mentions she has to call her mom, which makes it clear Mrs. Grey is a caring parent, even if she is busy and wrapped up in her own issues.
As far as the clueless parent thing goes, there are times when Mrs. Grey catches Nora in difficult or dangerous situations without following up much.
Exhibit A:
- When a smooth-talking stranger pulls up in an expensive Jeep after taking Nora out (without permission), Mrs. Grey gives him the once over with questions and invites him in for expired ice cream. Though Nora mentions being in trouble with her mom over the date, it seems like an empty threat because it doesn't stop Nora from doing what she wants.
Exhibit B:
- When Elliot shows up drunk early one morning, threatening Nora with violence if she doesn't go camping with him, Mrs. Grey calls down to ask who is at the door as she hears Nora talking. Nora says it's just a boy from school who wants to cheat off her work. Mrs. Grey says: "'Oh, honey. […] I can understand why you're upset. I can call his parents if you'd like'" (20.32). Mrs. Grey's naiveté here is almost laughable. Elliot has just threatened Nora and assaulted her, and Nora knows he has been investigated in another girl's suspicious death. What's going on is way past, "I'll call his mom" territory.
Exhibit C:
- When Mrs. Grey comes home from a wedding to find her house ripped up after Dabria's attack, Nora tells her mother that the new school psychologist went into an unexplained rage and tore the house apart. We're thinking most mothers would have a few follow up questions, but Mrs. Grey swallows the story immediately. She shows some mild righteous indignation and then goes to call the security alarm company, no questions asked.
But even these moments don't cast Mrs. Grey in an entirely negative light; if anything, she's a pretty sympathetic (if somewhat unrealistic) character. Mrs. Grey is a grieving widow, settling into a new career after being a stay-at-home mom, raising her daughter alone, and shouldering financial responsibility for her family with a job that isn't paying enough to cover the mortgage. She has a lot on her plate.
Importantly, despite her full plate, throughout the book it's clear that she loves Nora and wants her to be safe and happy. On the flipside, Nora worries about her mom and shows some protection over her, which makes it clear that she feels good about her mom's mothering, too—Nora clearly loves her mom. Because of this, we want things to be okay for Mrs. Grey… even if she comes off as gullible and kind of ditzy.