The relationship between the mother and daughter in this story is heartbreaking. Misunderstandings, prejudice and bad communication plague them even though they love each other.
This seemed to me to be the most important and interesting theme in the story, and I didn't really understand the point of all of the other material, especially all of the details of the mother's first love. The daughter's diary is also completely incomprehensible to me.
I feel like the only part that really gripped me was how distant her daughter is and what an asshole her son is.
In a way, I don't have a ton of sympathy for these tragic, long-term miscommunication. If you don't talk, you bring it on yourself.