Both these characters are cleverly depicted so that they are kind and amusing at the same time, and their absence is not missed. The conversations between the aunts and the sisters were designed to be one of a kind and extremely funny. However, these two don't seem to be cut out for the job, taking care of two girls seems to be a lot for these two. They are weighed down by the responsibility that comes with it, conjure up almost every frightful situation that they could about the circumstances they might face and end up running back to their comfortable lives in San Francisco, after luring a mysterious relative in the form of Aunt Sylvie who makes her entrance into the girls' lives and the novel. Aunt Sylvie has an unexplained vibe about her, for instance the stories that she has told the girls have all been related to or revolved around a bus or a train. In fact she is a transient, psychologically and sensitively un-wanting and untrained for the errands she has to take on. The character of Aunt Sylvie is what carries the rest of the novel; her influence on the girls is very evident throughout the remainder of the novel. She has been a traveler for long, not settling down and being independent in the face of the world. For this reason she has been kept away from her family and close friends. She has been 'riding the rails' from one place to another. Of course her character, too, is magnificently depicted in the author's expression with a calm and sympathetic side...

She is a question mark for all the people of Fingerbone, even the girls are clueless about who she really is. Being such an independent spirit, she has her own notions about life and sometimes seems to sweep into her thoughts for so long that time and everything around her seems to seize to exist for her. Her idea of "housekeeping" shows signs as the novel proceeds, her old collection of things like tins and cans, magazines, etc., seem to become a part of the house. The leaves that are depicted to be heaped up in corners of the house are a memento for the reader of what for Sylvie is 'the essence of housekeeping'.
Housekeeping is a must read novel which is pleasurable to read because of the natural and beautiful flow of language and thoughts that the author has used to build and carry the plot. The book is a great addition to the genre of entertaining literature, but besides that the book is filled with knowledge and practicalities of life as we all know it. It promises hope and human desire for existence marvelously. It's not a novel to skim through, but one where the reader needs to pace himself so that he does not miss any of the intricate and brilliant underlying passages that lie contained in the plot of the novel. The novel is a language that can be understood by both the heart and the soul for life's ever changing paths, opportunities and the conditions that certain expectations put us in and how they influence our life events and experiences.