Two Women, Two Eras

The novel opens in two timelines: 1955 and 1975 New York. In 1975, teenager Ava Winters navigates a crumbling home life with a mentally ill mother and an absent father. In 1955, Dovie Carmichael and Gillian McNichol, two teachers, share a secret romantic relationship in a world hostile to their love. The narrative alternates between these eras, drawing connections between the women's struggles, the city's changing face, and the enduring need for connection and belonging. The dual timelines set up a mystery: how are these women's lives intertwined, and what legacy has been left behind in the apartment they once shared?

The Box from Paris

Ava's life is upended when a large box arrives from Paris, addressed to her apartment but with no name. Inside, she finds a butterfly necklace, a silk scarf, photo albums, and unfinished letters—remnants of a life she doesn't recognize. The box becomes a catalyst for Ava, who is already struggling with her mother's breakdown and her own adolescent uncertainties. The items hint at a hidden story: a love affair, a betrayal, and a secret that has haunted the apartment for decades. The box's arrival coincides with Ava's mother's worsening condition, symbolizing the intrusion of the past into the present and igniting Ava's quest for answers.

Secrets in the Apartment

As Ava investigates the box's contents, she discovers photographs of two women—Dovie and Gillian—smiling on the fire escape of her building. The initials "D & G" carved into the railing confirm they once lived there. Meanwhile, in 1955, Dovie and Gillian's relationship is threatened by the arrival of Judith, a manipulative colleague who discovers their secret. Judith's presence in the apartment, both in the past and as Ava's neighbor in the present, becomes a symbol of the dangers of exposure and the cost of secrets. The apartment itself is a silent witness to decades of love, fear, and betrayal.

Love Behind Closed Doors

Dovie and Gillian's love is tender but fraught with peril. In 1950s New York, their relationship must remain hidden; even a careless gesture could lead to scandal, job loss, or institutionalization. Their home is a sanctuary, filled with music, laughter, and dreams of a future in Paris. Yet, the constant threat of discovery strains their bond. Dovie's desire to please everyone and Gillian's fear of exposure create cracks in their relationship, making them vulnerable to outside manipulation. Their love story is both a celebration of intimacy and a lament for the freedoms denied to them.

Judith's Price for Silence

Judith, a lonely and envious colleague, discovers Dovie and Gillian's secret. Rather than expose them outright, she leverages her knowledge to move into their apartment, rent-free, under the guise of needing a place to stay. Her presence is suffocating, and her demands escalate, driving a wedge between the lovers. Dovie, desperate to protect Gillian, lies to her about Judith's true intentions, setting off a chain of mistrust and resentment. Judith's manipulation is a chilling reminder of how easily love can be weaponized in a world that punishes difference.

The Cost of Hiding

The pressure of secrecy takes its toll. Dovie and Gillian's relationship deteriorates under the strain of Judith's blackmail and the ever-present fear of being discovered. The 1950s narrative shows the real dangers faced by queer women: rumors, police raids, and the threat of being institutionalized for "unnatural" behavior. When a police raid on a lesbian bar leads to Dovie's traumatic escape and Mary-Lyn's (Ava's mother) arrest, the consequences of living in the shadows become devastatingly clear. The cost of hiding is not just lost love, but lost selves.

Unraveling the Past

In 1975, Ava, with the help of her friend Viola, becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the box and the women in the photographs. Their investigation leads them to Gray's School, where Dovie and Gillian once taught, and to Mrs. Mac, a kindly school secretary who helps them track down Gillian's married name and address. As Ava pieces together the story, she confronts her own feelings of loneliness, her mother's mental illness, and the legacy of shame that has haunted her family and her home.

The Butterfly Necklace

The yellow butterfly necklace, found in the box, becomes a powerful symbol throughout the novel. It represents Dovie and Gillian's love, their dreams of Paris, and the beauty and fragility of their bond. Passed from Dovie to Gillian, and then lost and found again, the necklace is a tangible link between past and present, a token of hope that love can endure even when circumstances conspire to destroy it. For Ava, wearing the necklace is a way of connecting to the women who came before her and finding strength in their story.

Betrayal and Blackmail

Judith's manipulation reaches its peak when she tells Gillian that Dovie no longer wants her, driving Gillian to leave. In reality, Judith's jealousy and loneliness motivate her to sabotage the relationship, even going so far as to report Gillian to the authorities for "unnatural activities." The fallout is catastrophic: Gillian is interrogated, Dovie is left alone and heartbroken, and Judith remains bitter and isolated. The word "LIAR" scrawled across Dovie's photograph is Judith's final act of malice, a wound that festers for decades.

The Raid and Its Echoes

The police raid on the lesbian bar is a turning point. Dovie escapes, but Mary-Lyn (Ava's mother) is arrested and later institutionalized. The trauma of that night reverberates through the years, shaping Mary-Lyn's mental health and Ava's childhood. The novel draws a direct line between the violence of the past and the pain of the present, showing how societal cruelty can echo across generations. Dovie's guilt over abandoning Mary-Lyn, and Gillian's guilt over leaving Dovie, become burdens that neither can fully escape.

Dovie's Exile

After losing Gillian, Dovie flees to Paris, hoping to find solace and a new beginning. She builds a life among artists and jazz lovers, but the wounds of the past never fully heal. She writes letters to Gillian that she never sends, and her final act is to entrust her possessions to a friend, Christine, with instructions to find Gillian if she dies. Dovie's story is one of resilience and longing, a testament to the enduring power of love and the pain of regret.

Ava's Coming of Age

Ava's journey is one of self-discovery. As she unravels the mystery of Dovie and Gillian, she confronts her own feelings of abandonment, shame, and longing. Her friendship with Viola, her crush on Cal, and her struggles with her parents' failures all force her to grow up quickly. By the novel's end, Ava learns to forgive, to reach out for help, and to believe that she is worthy of love. The act of returning Dovie's box to Gillian becomes a rite of passage, a way of honoring the past and claiming her own future.

The Truth About Judith

Ava's investigation leads her to realize that Judith, now her downstairs neighbor Miss Schnagl, was the architect of Dovie and Gillian's heartbreak. When Gillian returns to the apartment to collect Dovie's box, she and Judith finally confront each other. The truth comes out: Judith's jealousy and spite led her to destroy what she could not have. The confrontation is cathartic, allowing Gillian to grieve, forgive, and move on, and Ava to understand the destructive power of secrets and lies.

Letters Across Time

Dovie's last letter to Gillian, written as she is dying in Paris, is a poignant expression of love, regret, and hope. Though she never knows if it will reach Gillian, the letter is a testament to the enduring power of love and the importance of speaking one's truth. The scattering of the letter's pages in the Paris wind is both a symbol of loss and a gesture of release, freeing both women from the burdens of the past.

Forgiveness and Moving On

In the epilogue, Ava's mother returns home, and Ava herself is on the cusp of adulthood. She receives regular letters from Gillian, who has found some measure of peace. The apartment, once a place of secrets and sorrow, is now filled with music and hope. Ava dances with her mother, embracing the possibility of happiness. The novel ends with a sense of closure and renewal: the past has been honored, the truth has been told, and the future is open.

Characters

Dovie Carmichael

Dovie is a passionate, generous woman whose longing for love and belonging shapes her every action. In the 1950s, she is deeply in love with Gillian, but her need to please and her fear of conflict make her vulnerable to manipulation. Dovie's inability to confront Judith or to be fully honest with Gillian leads to the unraveling of her relationship and her eventual exile to Paris. There, she builds a new life but never stops yearning for Gillian. Dovie's psychological complexity lies in her blend of hope and regret, her resilience in the face of loss, and her ultimate act of love: ensuring that Gillian receives her final words and mementoes.

Gillian McNichol

Gillian is Dovie's partner, a woman torn between her love for Dovie and her terror of exposure. She is practical, intelligent, and fiercely protective, but her fear of scandal and her need for security make her susceptible to Judith's lies. Gillian's journey is one of self-forgiveness: she must come to terms with the choices she made, the love she lost, and the possibility of healing. Her eventual confrontation with Judith and her receipt of Dovie's box allow her to grieve, forgive, and move forward.

Judith Schnagl (Miss Schnagl)

Judith is the novel's antagonist, a woman whose own isolation and longing curdle into jealousy and malice. She manipulates her way into Dovie and Gillian's home, blackmails them, and ultimately destroys their relationship. Judith's actions are driven by a desperate need to belong and to be loved, but her inability to accept rejection leads her to betray those around her. In old age, she is a bitter, solitary figure, haunted by the harm she has caused.

Ava Winters

Ava is the 1970s protagonist, a sensitive, intelligent girl struggling with her mother's mental illness, her father's abandonment, and her own sense of invisibility. The discovery of Dovie's box gives her purpose and a sense of kinship with the women who came before her. Ava's psychological journey is one of self-acceptance, resilience, and the courage to reach out for help. Her friendship with Viola and her quest to reunite Dovie and Gillian's legacy are acts of healing for herself and her family.

Mary-Lyn Winters

Mary-Lyn is Ava's mother, a woman shattered by past trauma—including her own arrest and institutionalization in the 1950s for "unnatural activities." Her mental illness is both a personal tragedy and a symbol of the violence inflicted on women who defied social norms. Mary-Lyn's relationship with Ava is fraught but ultimately redemptive, as mother and daughter find their way back to each other.

Tom Winters

Tom is Ava's father, a man who cannot cope with his wife's illness and seeks solace in an affair with Candy. He is well-meaning but emotionally unavailable, leaving Ava to fend for herself. Tom's failures are emblematic of the era's limitations on men's emotional expression and the collateral damage of societal repression.

Viola

Viola is Ava's best friend, a sharp, funny, and supportive presence. She helps Ava investigate the mystery of the box and provides a model of unconditional friendship. Viola's practicality and warmth are a counterpoint to Ava's introspection, and their bond is a source of strength for both girls.

Christine LeGrand

Christine is Dovie's friend in Paris, a compassionate and resourceful woman who helps Dovie build a new life. She is entrusted with Dovie's final wishes and ensures that the box is sent to New York. Christine's role is that of a guardian of memory, bridging the gap between past and present.

Cal

Cal is the object of Ava's affection, a golden boy whose attention represents the possibility of being seen and loved. His eventual relationship with another girl is a painful but necessary lesson for Ava in the unpredictability of love and the importance of self-worth.

Mrs. Mac

Mrs. Mac is a minor but pivotal character who helps Ava and Viola track down Gillian's whereabouts. Her warmth, curiosity, and willingness to help are a reminder that small acts of kindness can have far-reaching effects.

Plot Devices

Dual Timelines and Interwoven Narratives

The novel's structure alternates between 1955 and 1975, using parallel narratives to explore the enduring impact of love, loss, and secrecy. This device allows the reader to see the consequences of past actions in the present and to understand how trauma and hope are transmitted across generations. The gradual revelation of connections between characters and timelines creates suspense and emotional resonance.

The Mystery Box and Epistolary Fragments

The box from Paris, filled with mementoes and unfinished letters, serves as both a literal and metaphorical container of memory. The epistolary fragments—letters never sent, photographs defaced, and tokens of love—invite Ava (and the reader) to piece together the hidden story. This device foregrounds the importance of storytelling, testimony, and the preservation of history.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

Symbols such as the butterfly necklace, the carved initials on the fire escape, and the word "LIAR" scrawled on a photograph are used to foreshadow revelations and to encapsulate themes of transformation, love, and betrayal. These motifs recur across timelines, linking characters and underscoring the cyclical nature of trauma and healing.

Unreliable Narration and Withheld Truths

The novel plays with unreliable narration, particularly through Judith's lies and the incomplete stories told by various characters. The reader, like Ava, must sift through conflicting accounts to arrive at the truth. This device heightens tension and mirrors the psychological confusion experienced by the characters.

Intergenerational Trauma and Healing

The narrative structure and plot devices emphasize how the wounds of one generation can shape the lives of the next. Ava's journey to uncover Dovie and Gillian's story becomes a means of understanding her own family's pain and of breaking the cycle of silence and shame.

Analysis

That Green Eyed Girl is a moving, multi-layered exploration of love, secrecy, and the long shadow of societal repression. By weaving together the stories of two generations of women—one forced to hide her love in the 1950s, the other coming of age in the turbulent 1970s—Julie Owen Moylan exposes the personal and collective costs of shame, silence, and betrayal. The novel's central mystery—the box from Paris—serves as a powerful metaphor for the hidden histories that shape our lives, and the act of uncovering the truth becomes an act of healing for both Ava and Gillian. Through its richly drawn characters and evocative settings, the book interrogates the ways in which love can be both a source of strength and vulnerability, and how the courage to tell one's story can break the chains of the past. Ultimately, That Green Eyed Girl is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the necessity of forgiveness, and the enduring hope that, even after loss and heartbreak, it is never too late to begin again.

Last updated: May 5, 2025