What I found most evident throughout the course of this book is Leila's inability to properly cope with the loss of her sister and her broken family. As she is trapped between two cultures and strives to be different from her ancestors (Mah, in particular), Leila is also trapped in the past. I believe this is why the author uses the technique of writing the narrative backwards, because the farther back she goes, the harder it is for Lei to process. I think because of both the author's and the character's cultural background, they way in which emotions are expressed is not as bold as a traditional American would. Yes, Lei and her family are grief stricken, but they focus on tiny moments of silent communication rather than using their words to talk things out. When Lei says, "None of us were ready. Ona was dead before we had a chance to save her. We hadn't had time to catch up. To let go, I know we had to let our memories out," (p. 126) she is further proving that by going backward in her mind she is no closer to accepting her sister's death. She was stuck and trapped by her memories just as she felt trapped in many other aspects of her life.
The silent communication Lei focuses on is also very key for she, herself, is not good with her words. I'm not sure if the author meant to do this but the text itself is somewhat dry; one must read between the lines a bit to see hidden meanings, emotions, and themes. When Leila is with Mason at one point (p. 122) she said, "Mason shook his head in that way that meant everything, but I knew just by the way he was standing that he wasn't going to talk about it." At so many points in this novel, people opt to use silent communication via facial expressions, wordless emotion, or body language to express how they feel. In a way it does hold them back from expressing themselves fully in a traditional sense, but it also supplies a level of intimacy that so many people often overlook. Because she is so lost in her own mind, Lei can't find herself in her world, in her family, or in herself.
This is very interesting I also noticed that Lei makes a full circle with the beginning and ending of the book by wanting to move out of Mah's house into Mason's house and figuring out a way to tell Mah. Though the novel travels backwards there is still a loop for events to play out and return too. Maybe Leon will come and go again with Mah as a never ending loop also. Ona's dead plays on an never ending loop in the minds and hearts of her family, Lei mentioned somehow it always came back to Ona and Leon trying to find the blame for the loss of his daughter.
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