Who is Lizzie Vinich?

The reader only gets a few pages' glimpse into the life of Lizzie Vinich. The author shares that she is an immigrant like her husband, and that she is sympathetic and kind to her sister in law, and that she is violently protective of her son Josef. However, her life is cut short in the first chapter by a terrible train accident. She visits Josef in his dreams throughout the story, particularly during the war when his life is at his lowest.