As might have been suspected, the author runs her characters through some pretty harrowing experiences in the final segment of the story. Yes, we finally arrive at the intriguing caves that have been referred to. However, anyone hoping for some real underground cave drama and action will have to look elsewhere. This book is not about action and suspense; it is about the characters and how we relate to them, and it is about the larger questions of life.
In particular, it is gradually revealed to us that the connections between the main characters run very deep; a depth reaching over several lifetimes, in fact. These ideas, all hinted at earlier in the story, involve reincarnation, predestination, and the power of love to conquer even death. Very Eastern themes, to be sure.
But we also see an appalling example of Westernism, as the scientific community – exemplified by “Western” science – comes in and despoils what has been considered a sacred place for centuries, all in the name of “science.” The ancient ruins of a village in a cavern bordering an underground lake which emits its own bluish light are now revealed to the world. The light from the lake is explained as plants and animals that produce light, much as glowworms or the cave crickets found elsewhere in the world do.
Kwan, our quirky heroine, is proven not to be so quirky after all, as many of the crazy stories she has always told to the first person protagonist, her sister, are explained and revealed as true. Her disappearance at the end of the story – presumably her getting lost in the complex network of caves – lends its own mystery and poignancy to the story. How is this connected to her lifelong ability to see dead people? We are left with several such questions to ponder. But that’s part of the fun of a book like this, the mystery, and the feeling that we have been connected to the great inexplicability of the universe!
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