Surfacing Theme of Memory

Try as she might, the narrator cannot keep her memories at bay; being at home seems to make those pesky thoughts of the old days even more persistent and intrusive. However, don't be too eager to believe all the memories that thread their way into Surfacing, since we learn pretty quickly that her recall isn't exactly the best, or most honest. It seems that the narrator has some things in her past that she'd just as soon forget, so her mind has done a little reshuffling, some touch-up painting to make them a bit easier to swallow. However, by the end of the story, she's been forced to confront the reality (?) of her past, which seems to help her figure out a way to move forward in her present.

1. At one point, the narrator suggests that other people have the power to shape her memories. How does her passivity in this regard, her willingness to give control over something like that to other people, shape your perception of her character?
2. Before she outright admits that she's been lying to herself (and us) about some of her memories, what are some early clues that the narrator isn't the most reliable?
3. The narrator ultimately comes clean about some flaws in her recall about certain events (e.g., her marriage and baby). Do you think we can trust her recall of the "true" story, or is her narrative-memory just entirely in doubt by the end of the novel?

The narrator's efforts to cut herself off from her friends and boyfriend at the end of the novel is the only thing that will allow her truly to confront her past; she needs to be outside of their influence and truly active in engaging with her memories to ensure they aren't "tampered with."

Actually, even after the narrator's epiphany, her memories are never portrayed as wholly reliable; memory itself is always plastic and shaped by factors that have zip to do with "the truth."