Mimi Saint James: The Former Ballerina Who Teaches Frankie to Move Forward

Overview

Mimi Saint James is George’s grandmother and a former principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. In Our Perfect Storm, she lives in the “Big House” next door to Frankie’s family. Initially mistaken by the neighbourhood children for a witch—an idea Frankie’s brothers spread after glimpsing her at night—Mimi is gradually revealed as a warm, sharp-witted woman who becomes a crucial confidante to Frankie. She embodies the novel’s central lesson that you cannot go back; you can only go forward.

Plot Role

Mimi functions as a secondary mentor and anchor character. She is the keeper of the Saint James home where Frankie and George’s childhood adventures unfold. In the present-day timeline, Mimi offers Frankie a safe place to process her broken engagement and the loss of her friendship with George. She shares her own story of losing a ballet career and later grieving her husband and estranged son, demonstrating that resilience comes from embracing a new path rather than clinging to the past. Mimi also hints at future possibilities, telling Frankie that “things are about to look up” long before George’s return.

Motivations and Traits

Mimi’s actions reveal a woman driven by love for her grandson and a hard-won understanding of acceptance. She smoked and read Vogue when Frankie visited, which shows a rebellious streak and a refusal to be fragile despite her age and curved spine. She speaks bluntly—calling Frankie’s ex-fiancé wrong for her—but also with tenderness, kissing Frankie’s cheek and offering the same breathing advice she gave in ballet class. Her motivation to help Frankie stems from her own experience of loss and recovery: after Edward died and Beau disappeared, Mimi retreated into mourning until George moved in and “brought her back to life.” She wants Frankie to avoid wasting years in grief.

Chronological Arc

Before the novel: Mimi danced professionally, suffered a stress fracture that ended her career, married Edward Saint James, and moved to North Kawartha. She had a son, Beau, who struggled with gambling and estranged himself. She raised George after he moved in with her, transforming the neglected grounds and her own spirit.
During the prologue (We Were Eight): Frankie sees Mimi as the witch, but George defends her. Mimi’s house becomes the setting for their first meeting, meaning she unintentionally sparks the central friendship.
Chapter Eight (present day): Mimi listens to Frankie’s pain about the cancelled wedding and George’s absence. She reveals her own story of loss and gives the key advice: “You can never go back, ma chère. You can only go forward.” She admits she misses George every minute.
Later chapters: Mimi shares the story of meeting Edward after a performance of Giselle and how she adapted to a new life after injury. She continues to support Frankie by offering tea, banter, and presence. Though she doesn’t appear in the final chapters, her teachings echo in Frankie’s decision to seek adventure and ultimately reconcile with George.

Relationships

With Frankie: Mimi is a surrogate grandmother figure. She kicked Frankie out of ballet lessons for rudeness, but their bond deepened over years of shared secrets and afternoon snacks. In adulthood, Mimi is one of the few people Frankie trusts completely. Their relationship is built on mutual honesty—Mimi never sugarcoats, and Frankie seeks her out for clarity.
With George: Mimi is the stable, loving figure who saved George after his parents failed him. She admits she spent years grieving before George moved in and “brought her back to life.” Their bond is the foundation of George’s capacity for loyalty and love.
With Beau (George’s father): Mimi’s son Beau used his father’s absence and George’s trust to steal money and disappear again. Mimi does not discuss him directly in the evidence, but his actions deepen her understanding of loss and forgiveness.
With Edward: She married a man who “preferred quiet to the city” after her career ended. Their love, built on letters and laughter, taught Mimi that a different life can be just as magical.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Accepting Edward’s proposal after injury – This ended her ballet career but gave her a new purpose and home. The consequence is a life in the countryside that eventually holds George and Frankie.
Raising George after Beau left – Mimi chose to open her home and heart to a grandson she “barely knew.” This revived her and transformed the Big House from a lonely mansion into a place of joy and laughter.
Advising Frankie to move forward – Mimi’s direct advice pushes Frankie to stop wishing for the past and start building a future. This decision plants the seed for Frankie’s eventual self-discovery and reconciliation with George.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Mimi is a living embodiment of the novel’s central themes: healing and forgiveness, self-discovery and identity, and nature as catalyst. Her story mirrors Frankie’s journey from loss to reinvention. The ballet imagery she carries—posture, breathing, the discipline of dancing with closed eyes—symbolises the need to trust and let go. Her illness and aging spine do not diminish her regal presence; they reinforce that strength comes from within.

Mimi also connects to the theme of family and abandonment. She was abandoned by her son but later reclaimed by George, showing that chosen family can heal old wounds. Her repeated whisper of pas mal (not bad) and her refusal to dwell on hardship align her with the epigraph’s storm-ship metaphor: she learned to sail her ship.

Questions and Answers

Below are five questions that focus specifically on Mimi’s character and actions, with direct answers drawn from the novel.

1. Why does Mimi tell Frankie she can “never go back”?

Mimi says this after Frankie wishes she could return to the way things were with George. Mimi draws on her own experience: she lost her ballet career to an injury and later grieved her husband and son, but she learned that the only way forward is to accept change and build a new life. The statement is both a practical lesson and a compassionate truth.

2. What does Mimi reveal about her past to Frankie during their conversation in Chapter Eight?

Mimi tells Frankie that she thought she’d be married to ballet but fell in love with Edward, a lumber baron. She describes spending years in mourning after losing her husband and her estranged son, until George moved in and revived her. She also admits she never considered Frankie’s ex-fiancé right for her.

3. How does Mimi’s background as a ballet dancer influence her relationship with Frankie?

Mimi taught Frankie and George ballroom dancing as children, insisting that Frankie dance with her eyes closed so she would learn to follow. This training symbolises trust and letting go of control—lessons Frankie later applies to her life and her relationship with George. Mimi also uses ballet breathing exercises to calm Frankie in moments of stress.

4. In what way does Mimi act as a catalyst for Frankie’s self-discovery?

By sharing her own story of loss and reinvention, Mimi gives Frankie permission to stop grieving and start exploring. She tells Frankie that “going back to the beginning is sometimes the only way to move forward,” which directly precedes Frankie’s decision to plan new adventures, reconnect with her family, and eventually reach out to George. Mimi’s wisdom shifts Frankie from passive longing to active change.

5. What does Mimi’s relationship with the “Big House” reveal about her character?

The Big House was neglected when Mimi was grieving, but after George arrived, she restored its gardens and opened it to Frankie and her brothers. This transformation shows Mimi’s resilience and her capacity to create beauty out of pain. She lives there with a black cat named Baryshnikov and retains a theatrical flair (wigs, caftans), indicating that she never abandoned her artistic identity—she simply adapted it to her new life.

For more discussion of Mimi’s role within the larger story, see the ending explained and the questions and answers page.