Dark red shoes

Dark red shoes symbolize irony. Benedict Stone is an ordinary, everyday kind of guy. When he orders shoes online, they send him the wrong color. The dark red shoes Benedict receives are ironically the only non-neutral, exciting thing about him when the novel begins, as they have been unintended.

A small white bag full of gemstones

A small white bag full of gemstones symbolizes the past and the reason for Gemma’s visit to Benedict. Gemma brings the small bag of stones to Benedict so he can tell her what they mean. The gemstones belong to Benedict’s parents. They were among their possessions returned to Benedict and Charlie following their deaths in the tsunami. Benedict gave the bag of gems to Charlie upon Charlie’s move to America so Charlie would remember home.

Joseph’s gem notebook

Joseph’s gem notebook symbolizes family...