We all love a good romance. But why should we only read about happy endings in books? There’s so much more to life than just romances and love stories. In fact, there are plenty of examples of tragic love stories out there. If you want to explore these incredible tales of love and loss, you can start with Twigs by Lauren Groff. The story follows several characters as they deal with the deaths of their loved ones over the course of several years. But it doesn’t end there. You’ll also need to read Rob Pattinson to truly understand what happened. Although Rob’s character does end up with Kate, the reader needs to see both sides of the story to get the whole picture.
Tragic, But Also Inspirational
If you’ve never read Groff’s work before, you might think that Twigs is a story of heartbreak and tragedy. And in some ways, that’s exactly what it is. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth reading. On the contrary, there are many great lessons that you can take away from this book. Here are just a few:
Show Your Sorrow, Don’t Hide It
One of the biggest problems that the characters in Twigs have to deal with is hiding their sorrow. For example, Francine tries to hold back her tears while giving a eulogy at her father’s funeral, and eventually gives in to her feelings and weeps openly. But even then, she feels guilty that she’s showing her tears to the people around her. She doesn’t want to appear weak, so she tries to keep her emotions hidden. It is a sad fact that many people in similar situations to Francine’s don’t even show their true emotions because of how they think they will be perceived. This is something that Lauren Groff wants readers to understand and be inspired by: showing your sadness is sometimes the best way to get through it.
Death Makes You Real
In many cases, the characters in Twigs had to come to grips with the fact that their loved ones were gone forever. This is one of the main themes of the novel. As Kate says while trying to comfort Rob after the funeral of his ex-girlfriend, “You’re just a piece of me, and I’m just a piece of you.” So much loss, and so little time to grieve. These are sentiments that anyone who has experienced loss can relate to.
The Power Of One Emotion
One of the main themes of Twigs is how important it is to let your feelings out, even if this means putting yourself in a vulnerable spot. For example, when Francine finds a picture of the late Sarah on her phone, she realizes that she needs to let go of her anger and pain. So she takes the picture and crushes it in the presence of her parents. Here, she is expressing her grief and anger through art. At the same time, she is also protecting herself by hiding her emotions in private. This is an important lesson that we need to remember: the only way to cope with loss is through your emotions, not your intellect.
Take Care Of Yourself First
One of the underlying themes of Twigs is self-care. Everyone in the novel struggles with self-care, which is evident by the many desperate attempts that the characters make to try and meet their needs. Some of these attempts are incredibly embarrassing. For example, while trying to meet her emotional needs, Francine asks a male friend to hold her as she cries, and has her boyfriend read her the book The Reader by Bernette Sanders. So, even when she is not directly asking for help, she is still aware that she needs to take care of herself first. Just because she is grieving, it does not mean that she does not also deserve to be treated with care and respect.
Look Where You Come From
Another important theme that runs throughout Twigs is family. Everyone in the novel is trying to find a sense of belonging, and feeling that they belong somewhere, whether this is within their immediate family or in a larger group. When Francine’s parents discover that she has hidden herself away to grieve, they are initially very judgmental of her actions. They believe that she should not have buried herself in her studies, but should have come back home and taken care of her father. As she later says, “I couldn’t come back and take care of your father. I’m a doctor, not a nurse.” Here, she is trying to find a place for herself within the family, which is why she had to flee when her parents found out about her affair with Sarah.
Keep Your Feelings To Yourself
While trying to meet the other themes discussed above, Groff also wants the reader to understand that the characters in Twigs have to keep their feelings to themselves. In many cases, this is not an easy task. Here is where the power of art comes in. Art allows the characters to explore their innermost feelings without judgment or repercussion. This is why we see so many references to art and its value throughout the novel. Much of the subtext is wrapped up in the beauty and the power of art, and its ability to both celebrate and document loss.
The Importance Of Community
The story of Twigs is set in Boston, and follows several characters as they navigate the rough waters of grief and loss. However, there is also such a thing as a tight knit community. People who live in Boston know that it can be difficult to find support outside of your own neighborhood. Luckily, several of the characters in Twigs find a way to cope, and it’s important that we recognize their ways of dealing with their losses. These communities provide support for those who need it, and give the characters in the novel a sense of pride and ownership over their grief. It is often said that a community is only as strong as its weakest member, and it is evident that these characters are true to that maxim.
These are just a few of the themes that Twigs explores. As you can see, there are many lessons to be learned from this book. Although it is a tragic novel, it is also an important one, and should not be overlooked. If you are looking for a book to help you understand and cope with the losses in your own life, you can’t go wrong with Twigs.