What is the main conflict or the most interesting conflict in the book?

Family conflict is key in this novel. Belly resents her mother and favors Susannah during her adolescence, but as she begins to grow up she learns to appreciate her mother for all her incredible qualities. Belly thinks of her mother as boring in comparison to Susannah, who was glamorous and rich and wise. When Belly gets into a fight with her mother, she tells her that she wishes Susannah was her mother instead: “How many times had I thought it, wished for it secretly? When I was little, Susannah was the one I ran to, not her. I used to wonder what it would be like, to have a mom like Susannah who loved me for me and wasn’t disappointed in all the ways that I didn’t measure up” (212). Here, we see Belly’s tense relationship with her mother, who is responsible for her well-being and education during the humdrum days of fall, winter, and spring. Because Susannah is only ever involved in Belly’s life in the carefree summer, Belly favors her. After Susannah dies, Belly resents her mother for grieving and being withdrawn when she is normally strong and stoic. However, over the course of the novel, Belly realizes how much she appreciates her mother for the incredibly strong and loyal woman she is. In learning to appreciate her mother, who steps in to save the beach house from being sold, Belly is able to heal a bit of the grief she has felt for losing Susannah.