As the story begins, poor Becca is trying to come to terms with the death of her grandmother Gemma. By the time she travels to Poland, she comes face to face with mortality on a much larger scale: the genocide of her people during the Holocaust.
That's a pretty big leap, especially considering that Becca comes from a family who seems to have a hard time talking about death. (Gemma herself never talked to her family about the Holocaust.)
When Becca travels back to the U.S., she seems ready to break the spell and tell her family what really happened. She may have to lock herself in her room and go through a goth phase for at least a few weeks after that, but a little black eye makeup never hurt anybody.
Questions About Mortality
- What does Gemma ask of Becca on her death bed?
- How does Gemma cope with all the death that she encountered during the Holocaust?
- Why did Josef's lover kill himself?
Chew on This
Briar Rose, at its core, is a story about death.
Briar Rose, at its core, is a story about life.