How the Penguins Saved Veronica

The novel’s two central characters exhibit maladaptive strategies for coping with loss. Veronica suffered several losses in quick succession while only a teenager. First, her parents were killed during a bombing raid. Then, her lover was taken away by the army without warning. Her infant son was also adopted away from her without her knowledge or consent. That these people all meant something to Veronica is symbolized by the strands of hair she has kept in her locket to maintain her connection with them. That said, she goes for years without opening the locket. Instead, she seals it inside her memento box and tries to forget its existence. Even after she begins wearing the locket again on Locket Island, she refuses to discuss its contents with anyone else for fear of opening the floodgates of grief. For Veronica, tears are a sign of weakness, and she prides herself on her ability to contain her sorrow. She has spent the better part of her life suppressing rather than acknowledging her feelings.

Her grandson fails to cope in a different way. Patrick has also had a difficult past. His father abandoned him as an infant, and his mother died by suicide when he was only six.