In West Mills

Azalea’s father gives her the nickname “Knot” when, as a small child, she latches onto precious items, an early sign of the tenacity she would exhibit throughout her life. Like her sisters, Knot inherits a “v-shaped chin” from her father (81). Unlike them, however, she has the “copper-red hair” of her father’s father (3), which Dinah interprets as a sign that she will cause trouble.

Knot grows up to become a strong-willed woman, and she makes choices that cause her parents grief. Though she is well educated and capable of speaking the formal English preferred by Dinah, Knot chooses to speak in the dialect she shares with her friends and neighbors, and she is not above swearing, often to humorous effect. A gifted reader and problem solver, Knot becomes a teacher but finds that the profession is not to her taste. She frequently turns to alcohol and reading to cope with the disappointments of life.

Much of the novel’s conflict can be traced to Knot’s contradictory nature and desires. Knot occasionally longs for what she considers a “regular” life, including a family. But she also wishes to remain independent, free to access her vices, and far removed from any emotional risks. Over time, as she gives birth to children, watches them grow up under others’ care, and then gradually takes a more active role in their lives, she begins to redeem herself in others’ eyes—and her own.