The Flower Sisters

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and death by suicide.

“Her twin had disappeared to their small shared bedroom and returned with a gold heart-shaped locket with a single diamond chip embedded in its center. ‘Let me put this on you.’

 ‘I shouldn’t.’

 ‘I insist.’ Her sister sounded the tiniest bit bitter as she closed the minuscule clasp. ‘There.’”

The Prologue showcases twin sisters Rose and Violet, with one helping the other to get ready for a dance. While the sisters are not named here, the one attending the dance is addressed as “Violet” by everyone else. However, this heart-shaped locket is an early clue to the sisters’ true identities. Because it was gifted to Violet by Dash, she is the one handing it over so that Rose can wear it to the dance and masquerade as “Violet.”

“The only difference was the minuscule bluish-purple birthmark at the top of one slender neck. Violet, of course. It was the only sure way our mother had of telling us apart before our hair grew in, dark and long.”

In this scene, “Rose,” who is actually Violet, reflects on the violet-colored birthmark that distinguishes her from her sister. This birthmark is an important symbol in the book, for the physical mark that distinguishes the sisters also symbolizes their differences in character. The quiet, unassuming Rose, who always endeavors to follow her town’s rules and avoid taboo behavior, remains unmarked and unblemished (“pure” in the eyes of the community), while Violet’s birthmark implies that she is also perceived to carry a metaphorical stain on her character.

“I have moved around a lot in my fifteen years: St. Louis, Denver, Houston, Chicago. When I was younger—like in elementary school—I used to write letters to the friends I left behind. I was the pen-pal-iest person ever. But they rarely wrote back and even if they did, it was only once or twice. By the time I was in junior high, I had decided it was easier to stop making friends. What was the point? I knew where things were headed.”

In a defeated, world-weary tone that contradicts her young age, Daisy reflects on the instability of her life with her mother. This passage reflects Daisy’s longing for friends and companionship even as it emphasizes the circumstances that have contributed to her wariness of forging new connections.