Exiles

“Think back. The signs were there. What were they?”

These are the opening lines of the novel. They are Falk’s thoughts, but they are shared by many people in Marralee. Everyone close to Kim feels guilty about not seeing that she was in danger or distress before her disappearance. The passage establishes the theme of Perception and Reality in the novel’s first sentence.

“Those things that you didn’t even notice at the time. Little decisions that ultimately added up to something so much bigger.”

Falk considers Rohan’s thoughts about his wife. Falk believes Rohan is a grieving husband guilty over his wife’s disappearance and presumed death. However, Falk’s assumptions turn out to be incorrect, as Rohan murdered Kim. This passage, like the previous quote, develops the theme of Perception and Reality.

“Memories were fragile and fluid and prone to error and embellishment. No matter how many times he thought back to that night, how many details he tried to conjure up and how crystal clear they might seem, it didn’t change reality.”

Falk considers the night Kim disappeared. His memories, as well as everyone else’s, turn out to be false because she never made it to the festival. This quote brings together the theme of Perception and Reality with the theme of Memory’s Impact on the Present. Rohan murdered her on the outskirts of Marralee and pretended she was at the festival, playing on people’s expectations and misperceptions.