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Chapter 23
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Love, Aubrey, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Grief, Loss, and Healing
Love, Family, and Community
The Value of Routine
Forgiveness, Empathy, and Compassion
Summary
Analysis
One afternoon, Gram enters Aubrey’s room. She has two letters that have arrived for Aubrey—both from Mom. Gram leaves Aubrey alone to read them. The first envelope contains the family photo that Aubrey left behind when she and Gram left for Vermont. The second is a letter. In it, Mom explains that she found the letter and guessed that Aubrey must have meant to take it with her to Vermont. She wants Aubrey to have it now. Then she tells Aubrey how well she is doing at her new job and about everything she is doing to prepare for Aubrey’s return. Aubrey finishes reading the letter and redirects her focus to the family photo. She thinks about her family, and doing so gives her the strength to make her decision.
Mom’s letter to Aubrey gently reassures Aubrey, without saying so outright, that Mom has finally reached a stage in her recovery where she is able to be a loving and supportive parent to Aubrey. In sending Aubrey the family photo, she’s subtly letting Aubrey know that she—and maybe Aubrey, too—is finally ready and willing to accept the reality of Savannah and Dad’s death, while still keeping their memory alive. In these ways, Mom gives Aubrey the support and encouragement she needs as she makes her decision about whether to return home or stay with Gram.
Active
Themes
Aubrey has a flashback to playing with Savannah. Savannah has assembled a “family” of dolls. She points to a wine cork with a face drawn on it and calls it “baby.” When Aubrey points out that none of the dolls “go together,” Savannah replies that “They live in the same place” and “are happy together.” When Dad returns home, Aubrey complains about the “crazy family” Savannah has made, but Dad doesn’t seem to find the family strange either.
Aubrey’s memory of Savannah’s “crazy family” teaches Aubrey a vital lesson as she works toward making a major decision about her life: that families come in all forms, and all that matters is that a person is in a place where they feel “happy,” loved, and supported. This reassures Aubrey that whatever she decides, she will be okay: she has loving families in Vermont and in Virginia, and both of them are capable and willing to give her the care and support she needs to thrive. That Aubrey turns to this memory of Savannah at such a critical point in her story also demonstrates her newfound capacity to find comfort and peace in her memories of Savannah. She doesn’t have to block them out anymore.
Active
Themes
In the present, Aubrey wipes the tears that have streamed down her face and realizes that at last, she is “done crying.” She gazes at the family photo once more, then she puts it down and writes her response to Mom. In her letter, Aubrey explains that she really wants to live with Mom again, someday—but not yet. She’s not ready to leave Gram’s. She’s a made a new life for herself here, with friends who make her feel safe, loved, and happy. She asks Mom to please visit, and she hopes that Mom is still doing well. In closing, he reassures Mom, “Everything is going to be okay. Love, Aubrey.”
Active
Themes
