49 pages • 1 hour read
Elsie SilverWild Side
Elsie SilverFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2025A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Navigating Grief and Loss
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to drug addiction and the death of a loved one.
Erika’s death unmoors Tabitha and Rhys and provides the impetus of the plot. Tabitha’s grief initially manifests as anger. Since Erika became addicted to pain medications in high school, Tabitha has held herself responsible for her sister’s well-being. She can’t help blaming herself for Erika’s relapse and overdose but directs her anger over Erika’s death at Rhys. It’s easier to blame Rhys than to blame herself or even hold Erika responsible.
Tamping her sorrow is a form of self-preservation. Throughout the majority of the novel, Tabitha avoids crying over her late sister. She pushes reminders of Erika to the margins to stay strong for her parents and nephew. Her bristly behavior is a manifestation of her sadness and fear of confronting Erika’s absence. Tabitha’s storyline offers one representation of how loss might affect the individual.
Through Rhys, the narrative explores an alternate representation of grief and shows how loss might affect different people in distinct ways. Erika’s death disrupts Rhys’s sense of the past and future. Because they “forged a friendship,” Rhys wants to honor Erika’s memory and wishes by caring for Plus, gain access to 9,100+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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Related Titles
By Elsie Silver
