How Far She Went

A story that I read recently was How Far She Went by Mary Hood. This story was a great read with a bittersweet ending. To be honest, the story is kind of unrealistic to me, I just can't imagine two men attacking and chasing an elderly woman and a teenager over a simple dispute. Regardless, the story remained great until the end.
In the beginning of the story, there is a conflict between the granddaughter and grandma. Their names are unknown throughout the story, and I think one reason for this may be that the author wants to incorporate the general feelings between a grandchild and grandmother. There could be many tensions and misunderstandings between these types of family members simply due to experiencing different things in very different time periods.
Throughout the story, the grandmother and grandchild are escaping from the two drunk men who are trying to kill them. They go through a lot and even crash the car that the grandmother had. Toward the end, the grandmother is forced to kill her beloved dog in order to protect both herself and the granddaughter. She does this in order to prevent the two men from hearing the barking noises. Because of these events, the grandchild seems to have changed her views on herself and on her grandma, and strives to follow her when they are returning home. This is a bittersweet ending to me, because although the grandmother and granddaughter were safe, I can't help but feel bad for the dog and the fact that the grandma had to kill it even though they have been together for a long time.
I thought this was a great story and I think it can relate to several people, especially those from a younger generation.