I’m busy analyzing poetry (and I’m starting at the toddler stage) and editing To All My Darlings. New editions are up but I am still working on them and have a long way to go before I’ll announce they’re done and start the free eBook through Amazon (it’ll probably happen sometime in 2026).

This is by way of explanation that I was looking over Chapter 29 again and it is deep and makes some things clear that weren’t (at least to me before) and I just keep thinking, “Man, Young was a genius!”

One of the concepts was all the listings of God, Jesus, gods, goddesses, starts, planets, butterflies, moths, etc., etc. ad nauseum.

One of the things that I think, especially chapter 29, is trying to bring home is that if one thinks things are complicated on earth and have all these different names for heaven… What makes one think that EVERYTHING is less complicated, paradoxical, or ambiguous?

For example: God/Jesus, gods, goddesses serve to underscore the novel’s exploration of spiritual reality versus human perception. The divine is depicted not as a singular, easily definable being but as a presence that manifests in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways, much like the fragmented identities and overlapping realities experienced by the characters such as Mr. Spitzer and Catherine. This reflects the novel’s preoccupation with the elusive nature of truth, the complexity of existence, and the blurred boundaries between reality and illusion. By invoking these various titles, the text taps into a rich tradition of Christian symbolism, inviting readers to contemplate the depth of spiritual meaning behind everyday experiences and the mysterious workings of grace, suffering, and redemption. It situates the characters’ personal struggles within a cosmic framework, suggesting that their lives are part of a larger divine narrative that encompasses both the mortal and the eternal. This list also contrasts with the practical, grounded character of Miss MacIntosh, who embodies common sense and reality, as opposed to the more mystical and dreamlike experiences of other characters. The divine names remind us of the novel’s tension between the earthly and the spiritual, the seen and the unseen, the real and the illusory. It is a poetic and theological meditation on the nature of divinity, serving as a thematic focal point that enriches the novel’s exploration of identity, faith, and the search for meaning amidst uncertainty and paradox.

I feel another blanket statement that Young is making with her work (as I’m finding out by studying her poetry) is that - It’s complicated.

Everything is complicated and it will take nuance and context plus a healthy does of compassion for humans caught in this paradoxical experience called “life”.