The official word was that her friend had suffered a massive heart attack. There were conjectures about what had caused it: too high a dosage of some substance or other; a contraindicated mix of medications; overexertion that crashed her burdened vessels. But Alma didn’t believe any of these explanations. What killed her friend was that novel she could neither write nor put aside.
-- Narration / Alma (Part I)

Importance: Alma reflects on the death of her friend, rejecting the official medical explanations and instead attributing the cause to the psychological burden of an unfinished novel. This highlights the theme of storytelling and the profound impact that creative endeavors can have on an individual's well-being. Alma's belief that the unwritten novel caused her friend's death suggests that the inability to complete or let go of a story can lead to an overwhelming sense of frustration and existential despair. This underscores the idea that storytelling is not...