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[Gordon] said, “When I first met your mom, I thought she was a puzzle. A fascinating, beautiful, complex puzzle. But then I realized that no matter how close I got to her, no matter what combination I tried, she would never really open up to me.”
The title of Pieces of Her refers to the enigmatic personality of Laura Oliver. Though many people think that they know Laura, they each only know a single piece of her. Characters who have spent the most time with Laura, like her ex-husband Gordon, recognize her multi-faceted, complex, and mysterious nature. When Laura’s behavior seems to change abruptly following the violent shootout at the diner, her daughter Andy is at first deeply confused, struggling to reconcile this brash, aggressive, and even violent woman to the loving mother she has always known. Hoping to comfort her, Gordon speaks to Andy about her mother and about his former marriage to her. Laura, he claims, has always been a “puzzle.” At first, he was drawn to her impenetrable nature because he assumes that he will ultimately solve her, in the manner of a puzzle. However, after years of marriage, Gordon comes to understand that he will never truly know Laura, as she refused to “open up” to him. Ultimately, Laura abruptly requests a divorce from Gordon, devastating him. Here, his words to Andy underscore the complexity of identity in this novel.
I want you to live your life, Laura had said back at the diner. As much as I want to make it easier for you, I know that it’ll never take unless you do it all on your own. Andy was certainly on her own now. But what had changed? […] She just knew that she was sick of floating between disaster points like an amoeba in a petri dish.
While she is on the road, Andy has time to reflect upon her experiences and upon her relationship to her mother, Laura. In the first chapter of the novel, Laura gently voiced her concerns regarding Andy’s apparent aimlessness. She notes that her daughter has found herself stuck in a rut, not moving forward in any direction and wasting time in an unsatisfying career. Further, Laura blames herself for her daughter’s inertia, as she allowed Andy to move back into her family home in Georgia to take care of her during her own treatment from cancer. Driving across the border of Arkansas into Texas, Andy recalls mother’s advice to live her life to the fullest and to seek out a new, more independent existence outside of her hometown.
These words have particular significance to Andy in this moment because she truly has found herself alone in an unknown location, unable to contact her mother for advice or wisdom. Though this newfound independence was neither desired nor planned by Andy, she does recognize that it has brought about some positive changes in her outlook and behavior. Though she cannot identify what exactly it is that feels different, she notes that she has grown tired of her own past state of indecision. Rather than simply “floating” aimlessly like an “amoeba,” Andy vows to take charge of her own life. Up until this point in the novel, Andy has closely followed her mother’s directions in order to escape danger. Here, however, she embarks upon a new path, hoping to solve the mystery of her mother’s past.
"You know Laura Oliver, but you don’t know her. There’s only the surface. Still waters don’t run deep. Have you noticed?” Andy wanted to shake her head but she was paralyzed. “I hate to say it kid, but your mother is full of the worst type of bllsh*t. That dumb b*tch has always been an actress playing the role of her life.”
Paula Kunde, formerly Paula Evans, has resented Laura Oliver for many years. The source of this enmity lies in the events of 1986, when Laura, then known as Jane, turned against the Army of the Changing World and informed the police of the group’s plan to bomb financial centers in New York City in exchange for a reduced jail sentence for her own involvement. Paula, who spent 20 years in jail, regards Laura with great bitterness. When Andy shows up on Paula’s doorstep in Austin, Texas, hoping to learn more about her mother, Paula at first treats Andy with great hostility before agreeing to answer some of her questions. Like other characters in the novel, she is familiar with one aspect of Laura’s complex personality. To her, Laura is a spoiled brat and traitor who sacrificed her political ideals for personal comfort.
Though she is by no means an impartial judge of Laura’s character, the description she offers of her longtime rival is in some ways quite perceptive. Like Gordon, Paula notes that nobody truly knows Laura, including those who are close to her. Further, she characterizes Laura as an “actress,” who is merely playing a role even in her everyday life. Though Paula is certainly biased against Laura, she is in some ways correct that Laura hides aspects of her personality from others. Assuming a new name after entering the Witness Protection Program, Laura indeed does begin to act like a new person, even concealing her ability to play the piano in order to ensure that she does not reveal her true identity.
