Loss and Longing

Diamond Newberry’s father’s disappearance instigates the novel’s explorations of loss and longing. Throughout the novel, the narrative toggles between scenes from the past and present. These temporal movements enact Diamond’s fraught relationship with the past and the ways in which losing Pop seven years prior to the narrative present has come to dictate her reality. Furthermore, the chapters that present Aunt Lena’s and Aunt Clara’s letters reveal that Diamond’s relatives’ and ancestors’ lives were also saturated with instances of loss that left them longing for safety and security, freedom and autonomy, love and connection. In the Prologue, Diamond introduces her story saying that it “isn’t a mystery or a legend,” but rather “a story about leaving” (5). Departure and absence indeed define Diamond’s life and her history. As her narrative unfolds, the reader discovers along with...