I can't help feeling that the mother cared just enough for the two older daughters to get the half-brother to look after them until they were old enough to leave the house and be somewhat independent, and then got rid of him.
The foreboding foreshadowing regarding the youngest daughter makes me suspect that the indifference she felt when pregnant after the father died (and maybe immediately after she'd learned about the son/other woman) persisted.
Of course, it'd be nice if I was wrong and she was just generally messed up and struggling (or there was more to why she became so neglectful).
I can't help feeling that the mother cared just enough for the two older daughters to get the half-brother to look after them until they were old enough to leave the house and be somewhat independent, and then got rid of him.
The foreboding foreshadowing regarding the youngest daughter makes me suspect that the indifference she felt when pregnant after the father died (and maybe immediately after she'd learned about the son/other woman) persisted.
Of course, it'd be nice if I was wrong and she was just generally messed up and struggling (or there was more to why she became so neglectful).
This story's compelling, but a bit depressing.