Secrets

Secrets and the revelation of these secrets is an important theme in this novel, as it is the secrets kept by several characters that drive the plot. Alma, Irina and Nathaniel are among the characters who harbor secrets. Once these secrets are divulged the new information changes the way the reader interprets situations presented in earlier parts of the book.

The main character with a secret is Alma. It is her secret love affair with Ichimei that drives the plot of the novel. Although she’d thought she’d kept this part of her life a secret from her grandson, Seth, and Irina they found out about it and drew their own conclusions about Alma. Based on what they knew, both Irina and Seth assumed that Ichimei was still alive and that Alma was sneaking off to see him. They did not realize that Ichimei had...