Alchemy of Secrets

As the novel’s protagonist, Holland St. James is a dynamic, round character whose journey is driven by intellectual curiosity and a deep-seated need to understand her family’s tragic past. A graduate student specializing in folklore, Holland is initially drawn to the magical underworld of Los Angeles through her mentor, the Professor, whose stories make her feel as if she is on one of her father’s treasure hunts again. This curiosity often verges on naivety, leading her to trust others too readily, as she does with her deceptive boyfriend, Jake. Ever the optimist, she sees the world in a “bright Technicolor way” (120) that is informed by her love of old Hollywood movies. As the novel progresses, she becomes less credulous, learning to navigate a world built on deception, and she becomes deeply conscious of The Treacherous Nature of Secrets and Lies.

Holland’s identity is shaped by the theme of Confronting the Ghosts of Family Legacy. Taught by her father “to look for clues the way other children learned to play with blocks or each other” (6), this upbringing instills in her a unique way of seeing the world, making her receptive to the Professor’s myths and compelling her to follow the trail of clues her father leaves behind.