“‘The fact of the matter is that you must marry,’ Lyndon parroted as he limped across the room, leaning heavily on his walking stick. Eighteen years my elder, the entire right side of his body had been warped by shrapnel during the war in Flanders and the brother I once knew stayed buried somewhere in that very field. The horrors he held in his eyes frightened me, and even though I didn’t like to admit it, I had grown fearful of him.”

This first description of Lyndon highlights the lingering effects of World War I on him, not only physically but mentally. In addition, this passage establishes that Opaline is afraid of him, a fear that proves justified quickly. This introduction presents him unequivocally as the antagonist of Opaline’s story.

“He always said that books were more than words on paper; they were portals to other places, other lives. I fell in love with books and the vast worlds they held inside, and I owed it all to my father.”

Opaline recalls her father’s emphasis on books and reading when she was a child. She attributes her love of books to him, a character trait that propels her into her career as a book dealer and influences many of her personal relationships. This thematically embodies The Power of Books.

“[H]ow many paperbacks, manuscripts, handwritten drafts have been lost or forgotten throughout history? The number is infinite. How many forgotten libraries remain hidden […] Who is to say what treasures are yet to be rediscovered, what lost things are waiting to be brought to light?”

Henry reflects on the human fascination with lost books and manuscripts. This is not only the topic of his thesis but also his personal obsession. The idea of lost and found objects recurs throughout the novel.