This was an interesting one in that the main character used her relationships with women to escape her grief but at the same time was hesitant to be open or self-accepting of her sexuality. This is especially seen with her neighbor's mother and the woman she has an affair with in college. 

You can see why this escape that is subsequently self-isolating is appealing to the main character. However, once the safety of those relationships starts to be pulled away from her, you can really see how damaging they were to her growth as an individual. But at the same time they did make an impact on who she ultimately becomes.