What Was Left of Her is very reminiscent of the old Gothic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca . It explores the outer atmosphere built on suspenseful austerity and the inner psychology of the troubled people within.

Lucie’s house seems like it’s on the edge of the world where if you slip off, you might disappear forever. It is cold, unpleasant, and surrounded by cliffs and water. Many people know of Lucie and her nieces, but not many are friends with them. The few that do have issues of their own that puts them under suspicion as well. For Cassie and Alex, this is not a welcome home so much as it is an unwelcome return to a past that they would rather have left behind.

As troubling as the world outside, the characters inside are just as miserable, notably Cassie and Bella. Cassie is a recovering alcoholic trying to piece together parts of her past that have continued to haunt her present and make her uncertain about her future. The more the book explores her mind, the more the reader sees what a damaged soul she is. It’s hard to tell whether the ghosts are real and surround her or whether they are in her mind. She is very suspicious of those around her including her aunt, cousin, and sister so her thought patterns often jump to the worst potential scenario. This makes her an unreliable viewpoint character who may be driven insane by grief, memories, and her own personality than anything those around her have done.

Even though Bella is absent through most of the book, she is still very much in the family’s mind and consciousness. She was a seriously troubled woman who may not have been physically capable of controlling herself but also may have been and did not care. The description of her could go either way and is only provided by third person accounts from Cassie and Alex. Bella is not here to defend herself or to give her testimony one way or another. The sister’s memories of their cousin are purposely contradictory, confusing, and unreliable so even they don’t know or understand their cousin and how she still haunts their presence long after she is gone.

Because of their equally troubled nature, Cassie and Bella have more in common than Cassie is willing to admit. They both drag Lucie and Alex into their issues. Lucie tries to love her daughter but is threatened by her. Alex is disturbed by her sister’s troubled moods and strives to live her own life while being concerned for Cassie’s well being.

The cousins' personalities and actions merge until it’s hard to tell how much of Cassie’s memories are accurate, whether they were things that Bella did or whether Cassie was projecting. It’s hard to tell who was the more troubled and violent cousin, Cassie or Bella and who is really haunting who.