The Winemaker's Wife

“Liv Kent’s left hand was naked.”

This is the very first line told from Liv’s perspective; it’s notable that the way the narrator chose to introduce her is through an image of her “naked” hand. This shows how Liv’s identity is tied to her marriage, and without it, she has lost her sense of self. This line communicates a vast amount of exposition to the reader in a very compact space.

“She hadn’t gotten used to the constant chill, as if the seasons aboveground ceased to exist, and she had never adjusted to the way the wind sometimes howled at the main entrance to the caves, a sound that made her think of the ghosts and wolves of fairy tales.”

In this moment, the narrator uses folkloric imagery to create a feeling of division between two worlds. This description shows Inès’s otherness in a place that is comfortable and familiar to the people around her. The line communicates Inès’s imagination, inexperience, and youth while also hinting at an “aboveground” and “underground” world within the wartime social context.

“A month after Inès had arrived at the Maison Chauveau, she’d overheard Céline whispering to Theo that Inès’s constant optimism grated on her because it was so unrealistic. After that, Inès had at least understood the exasperated looks that Céline sometimes cast her way.”

Inès and Céline are presented in direct juxtaposition with each other, particularly in their worldviews. Inès wants to see the world as a place filled with good people and possibilities while Céline is afraid that denying the darkness in the world will endanger herself and her loved ones. This moment marks the slow beginning of the understanding that grows between them over the course of their journey.