“The Fifth Season” by N. K. Jemisin (post 4): Protagonist, Essun, can create alternate personalities; she’s done it before and it’s easy

Narrator, addressing “You”—meaning Essun and readers, since readers, at the beginning of the novel, had been told to think of themselves as Essun—says the following:

“You think, maybe, you need to be someone else.

“You’re not sure who. Previous yous have been stronger and colder, or warmer and weaker…

“You could become someone new, maybe. You’ve done that before; it’s surprisingly easy. A new name, a new focus, then try on the sleeves and slacks of a new personality to find the perfect fit. A few days and you’ll feel like you’ve never been anyone else.

“But. Only one you is Nassun’s mother…if she still lives, Nassun will need the mother she’s known all her life.

“So you must stay Essun…You have no choice. Not as long as one of your children could be alive” (1, pp. 172-173).

1. N. K. Jemisin. The Fifth Season. New York, Orbit Hachette, 2015.

Comment added June 19, 2019: It is unclear as to whether a narrator is addressing Essun, an alternate personality is addressing her, or these are Essun’s thoughts. It would appear clear, however, that the issue is changing personalities, per se, not just adopting a new identity. The word “personality” is used. And if it were just a new identity being considered, then that would not prevent her from still being Nassun’s mother. Only a different personality, per se, would not be Nassun’s mother.

Added later in the day: The passage quoted says, "A few days and you'll feel like you've never been anyone else." That would be true only if you had a new, different memory bank, and did not have your previous memories. If you just adopted a new name, because you got married or achieved a new job status, you would still have your old memories and feel, basically, like you were the same person. So what is being described is the creation of a new personality. Whether the author understood this, I don't know, but she did say "a new personality."