Eva’s family has passed down stories from generation to generation, but they’ve also passed down their pain. This is true on both a literal and metaphorical level: Eva has inherited her grandmother’s migraines, but she also seems to have inherited a “curse” of abandonment:

Their reputations were as wild and dramatic as their names—Clotilde and Delphine. Their lives had been affected by murder and madness, and mysterious rage […] As a little girl, Genevieve assumed that these were tall tales, half-truths. But her grandma and great grandma sounded fabulous, just the same (28).

As a mother to a daughter herself, Eva must balance how to celebrate their ancestors while not traumatizing her own daughter with the painful stories. To do this, Eva turns back to the stories, crafting them perfectly for her daughter. She tells Shane, “Look, Audre doesn’t know about any of this. She thinks Lizette’s a hero. I’ve…tweaked history a bit, ‘cause I want her to be proud of who she is” (151).

Eventually, Eva passes the truth down after doing what she wanted and going to Belle Fleur to research the truth about her family. They were victims of their time and place, unable to be themselves. She learns that her ancestors—Delphine, Clotilde, and Lizette—all faced racism and misogyny, and the men in their lives were all unreliable and oppressive.