Change

Throughout the novel, the author uses each of his main characters; longing for renewal and reform in order to explore change as a motivating power. Ever since Harry and Alma Brettigan's son Timothy disappeared from their lives, the couple has been privately wondering how they might bring him back to their family. Their actions and decisions throughout the novel are largely motivated by this longing. In the case of the young couple Christina and Ludlow, activism has become the defining feature of their lives. Their notions of change are more sweeping than those of the Brettigans. However, all four main characters are similarly driven by the desire to create newness in the world around them.

The author uses the Sun Collective as a symbolic representation of change itself. Although each of the characters possesses a unique relationship with the group, they are all arguably connected by...