Assiniboine River, beside the family apartment

The Assiniboine River, beside the family apartment, is both a visible part of the family’s surroundings and a recurring presence during a period of uncertainty. Seen from Lottie’s high-rise apartment, it marks the changing season and gives Yolandi Von Riesen a place from which to wait, watch, and think about her sister Elfrieda’s condition.

Setting and Seasonal Change

During spring breakup, the river’s ice thaws and fractures, and large slabs move downstream. The change is not presented as an easy arrival of spring: Yolandi notes that spring comes slowly to the city. The river therefore supplies a concrete seasonal clock during the family’s crisis, registering change outside even as Elfrieda remains in hospital and the family waits for news.

A Place of Vigil

Yolandi returns to Lottie’s apartment overlooking the river with provisions gathered while preparing to wait: a large purple pillow embroidered with silver dragonflies, beer, cigarettes, and a large chocolate bar. From the balcony, she watches the water and tries to make sense of Elfrieda’s private distress. The river-facing apartment becomes a temporary station for this vigil, linking ordinary acts of waiting and purchasing supplies to the uncertainty of Elfrieda’s hospitalization.

Recurrence and Narrative Role

The river returns in several scenes rather than serving as a one-time backdrop. Yolandi listens to the ice breaking while waiting to be connected to the hospital’s psychiatric unit; after returning from travel, Lottie is awake at the dining table, and Yolandi again hears the river while checking that Elfrieda is still in hospital. On another evening, Yolandi and Julie sit outside near the river and consider, in imagination, whether the ice slabs could rise and travel back north. These returns connect changing water and ice with repeated acts of waiting, conversation, and care, while the river remains indifferent to the family’s unresolved situation.