What is the source of Ella and her mother's conflict? Was Ella justified to leave home for ten years and fail to attend her father's funeral? Why does Ella need to say the following words to her husband and later to herself as she prepares to visit her childhood home: 'I'll be reasonable, composed'? When Ella tells her mother that, 'It's not that I left, but you stayed, Mummy,' what does she mean? Do you agree with her? What do the words, "a line of red lipstick that crossed the crease where her mouth had once been" tell us about Ella's mother? Where in the story does Davids use the stream-of-consciousness technique? Why is it suitable in this story? The story also advances the theme of change. Discuss how this is done.