Gemma's uncle dies in February of 1958 after falling through the ice when "skating along on the river at dusk" (Livesey 3). This is yet another tragic, accidental death to befall Gemma's loved ones. This is significant because, unlike Jane Eyre, Gemma Hardy's narrative is situated relatively abruptly after her uncle's death. Consequently, readers get to see the gradual deterioration in the way Gemma is treated now that her uncle is dead. Jane Eyre starts off more in medias res, when her aunt's abuse has been going on for a long time.  

With Gemma’s uncle out of the picture, her aunt begins to treat her more and more cruelly and works to exclude her from the family. Because readers see the gradual changes in Gemma’s treatment over time, the injustices feel more substantial and concrete because until recently, she'd been treated as part of the family.

Examples of the changes in her treatment include Veronica and Louise being sent to school in Perth while Gemma is left to attend the village school alone and her aunt moving Gemma’s bedroom from being next to Lousie's to "the maid's room under the eaves" (Livesey 10). One of the scenes that makes most obvious the way Gemma is being systemically excluded from the family is on Christmas Eve when her aunt tells her she can’t attend the Buchanans’ Christmas party, citing the invitation, she argues, “and who is it addressed to? The Hardy family. That means Will and the girls and me” (Livesey 6). Gemma is left on the holiday to help the housekeeper with the washing up, when in years past she has always attended that party with the rest of the Hardys.

Livesey, Margot. The Flight of Gemma Hardy: a Novel. HarperPerennial, 2013.