“She wanted to live abroad, where the daily challenges kept her mind occupied and her heart in relative calm, because in Chile she was crushed by the weight of the familiar, its routines and limitations. Back there she felt she was condemned to be a lonely old woman besieged by pointless memories; in another country, there could be surprises and opportunities.” 

Lucia accepts a position as a visiting professor in the U.S. as Chile, the country where she grew up and that she ultimately returns to, proves to be a different place than she remembers. After enduring exile, her return to Chile allows her to live a normal life. However, she also experiences deep heartbreak, the death of her mother, and her struggle with cancer. After having endured all these obstacles, living in the U.S. feels like a necessary change.

“She mistrusted happiness on principle; she found it rather kitschy.” 

After enduring the heartbreak of her divorce with her husband whom she had loved deeply for many decades, Lucia becomes skeptical about happiness. While she indulged in passions before, happiness in her later life feels excessive after her many struggles.

“Afraid of falling into the trap of romanticism, which he had avoided for twenty-five years, he never asked himself why he rejected love, because the answer seemed obvious: it was his inescapable penance.” 

After losing his wife, Anita and his child, Bibi, Richard blames himself for these losses. Anita and Bibi were part of his life during a time of great passions and adventure. Richard believes that his negligence during this era is the cause of Anita and Bibi’s deaths. Richard’s persisting sense of loss and guilt prevents him from pursuing genuine love and romance after Anita and Bibi.