Sarah, whose real name is Sally Ann, is a member of Polly’s book club and her closest friend. She married a man named Richard later in life and became stepmother to his two sons. Sarah is now a widow, and though she is wealthy and lives comfortably, she is not pretentious. She is generous, kind, and deeply attentive to the people around her. Of all the women in the group, Sarah is the one Polly trusts most. On their long walks together, Polly shares the details of her infertility and her fears in a way she does not with the others. Polly and Sarah’s friendship epitomizes the novel’s emphasis on Relationships as a Source of Support, as they each selflessly help one another through some of the most difficult challenges of their lives.

Sarah is a particularly steady source of support for Polly. She listens without judgment and does not try to fix things, which allows Polly to be honest about what she is going through. Even as Polly’s life becomes more complicated, Sarah remains consistent. Garrison remembers her as “good and generous, the kind of person who never looked over your shoulder at a party for who she could talk to next” (217). Polly later learns that Sarah could not have children, something she never shared despite supporting Polly through her own infertility, revealing the extent of Sarah’s selflessness. Though Sarah never has biological children, she embodies many maternal qualities through the way she loves and supports others, thus helping Polly learn to see family in a more expansive way.

When Sarah’s cancer returns, Polly must face the reality that she is losing her best friend and that the support she has relied on will not always be there in the same way. Even as her health declines, Sarah continues to care for others by offering her cottage to Polly’s in-laws without hesitation and remaining emotionally present for Polly for as long as she can. Polly must take on more of a supportive role, honoring Sarah’s wishes not to tell the rest of the group about her terminal diagnosis and giving her space to be alone.

After Sarah’s death, Polly reflects on the complexity of who her friend was, realizing that there were parts of her she never fully knew: “Sally Ann—the friend I didn’t know beneath the veneer of Sarah. No, not veneer—Sarah wasn’t that person […] I knew the flower” (201). Polly recognizes that even though there were parts of her friend she didn’t know, she benefited from the fruit of Sarah’s kindness and love. Sarah leaves a lasting impact on Polly through generously leaving her and Mark the cottage and by having her ashes buried beneath a young magnolia tree in the backyard. Like the magnolia tree, Sarah’s love continues to grow in Polly’s life, a lasting reminder that friendship remains even after loss.

Mark is Polly’s second husband, whom she met at a party that Sarah hosted. In many ways, he is a stark contrast to her first husband, Benedict, who was unfaithful and emotionally unavailable. Mark is kind, steady, and deeply attentive to Polly’s needs. As Polly reflects, “He [is] a whole-hearted man, my husband” (29), capturing both his openness and his sincerity. He works as a large-animal veterinarian, a profession that requires patience, care, and the ability to respond calmly in high-stress situations, all of which carry over into how he supports Polly.

Mark supports Polly as she faces multiple crises. He is aware of her desire to become a parent, a desire he shares, yet he never allows that longing to become a source of pressure. As they move through years of failed fertility treatments, he remains supportive without pushing her toward decisions she is not ready to make, displaying his sensitivity and respect for Polly’s emotional and physical experience.

Ironically, Mark assists in animal inseminations and births, which contrasts with his and Polly’s struggles to have children. However, he never measures their situation against his professional successes, nor does he allow it to define Polly’s worth. Yet Polly recognizes that Mark is also grieving. She notes, “I know that there’s sadness in him behind those bright eyes and his ready smile. It’s hidden, but it’s down there, deep […] much, much colder than the rest” (66). While Mark appears steady, he is not untouched by their struggles. His ability to carry that sadness without projecting it onto Polly further emphasizes his emotional strength.

Mark plays an important role in Polly’s interrogation of identity. His profession allows him to see what Polly is not yet ready to face, especially after she meets her half-brother and recognizes their shared physical traits. While Polly hesitates to fully accept what the DNA results suggest, Mark understands the truth and waits for her to come to it on her own. Even as the DNA journey rattles Polly’s sense of self and her understanding of her biological family, her relationship with Mark remains unchanged. In contrast to the uncertainty surrounding her origins, their relationship is steady, its foundations strong. No matter what Polly discovers about her origins, she and Mark belong to each other, reinforcing the power of chosen family and relationships.