Opening Lines
The novel opens with a scene ripe with metaphorical imagery that sets the stage for some of the thematic explorations to come. Humans will be situated into the world of nature in a way which can make them seem both more and less significant than the creatures surrounding them, sometimes simultaneously:
“Her body moved with the frankness that comes from solitary habits. But solitude is only a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot; every choice is a world made new for the chosen. All secrets are witnessed.”
Relationships
Relationships are complicated throughout the narrative. One character is the offspring of a Palestinian-Jewish marriage. Another character seeking to protect coyotes from poachers falls in love with a poacher. A traditional farmer and an organic farmer feud and fight and come to respect each other. Still, notably, it is the women characters who drive the narrative and are the primary focus of the three distinct treks of narrative. One of them thinks in metaphorical terms what surely the others likely would concur
“The loudest sound on the earth, she thought, is a man with nothing to do.”
Be Careful What You Wish
The novel is a story of evolution and interconnectedness that relates a tale concerned with how progress moves forth and civilization makes the next leap. Sometimes these moves are accidental and occasionally they come about through intent. But intent does not guarantee satisfaction, as one of the characters observes through a familiar metaphor turned on its head:
“A bird in the hand loses its mystery in no time flat.”
Personification
Throughout, nature is personified and people are given attributes associated with the natural world. Appalachia is a particularly significant setting for one part of the story and it is made tangible through metaphorical association between the land and the people who call it home:
“People in Appalachia insisted that the mountains breathed, and it was true: the steep hollow behind the farmhouse took up one long, slow in-halation every morning and let it back down through their open windows and across the fields throughout evening—just one full, deep breath each day.”
“Every family's its own trip to China.”
The book is abundant with metaphorical quips by characters that serve no larger purpose than making for entertaining dialogue and perhaps offering insight into the character. So many of these are offered up by the author that it would be difficult to choose one as particularly better than any other, which is only good news for readers: the language makes the conversations crackle and can help lighten the load of some of the rather heavy-handed ecological messaging. This particular observation quoted above may not be the single most memorable line, but it is definitely a good example of what to expect.
