Diavola

“Someone’s in here, Anna thought. Listening.”

This quotation occurs as soon as Anna enters Villa Taccola for the first time. It signals that Anna is attuned to the strange, ghostly presence (foreshadowing her clarity regarding her family’s dysfunctional dynamics) and begins to set the sinister, foreboding tone that will dominate throughout the novel.

“‘This is so nice,’ Anna heard her mother say behind her. ‘Everybody together.’”

This quotation occurs shortly after Anna arrives at the villa and comes on the heels of several tense interactions; Nicole, for instance, remarks that Anna could sleep on the plane because she has no children, simultaneously shaming Anna and hinting at her own dissatisfaction as a mother. In this context, the remark reflects Anna’s mother’s forced belief in happy family dynamics. This insistence on pretending that everything is fine keeps the Paces trapped in dysfunction, developing the theme of Imprisonment in Denial and Repression.

“Seriously, Anna, what specifically are your dreams? Your aspirations?”

Nicole asks this question, implying that Anna lacks motivations and goals in life. The quotation reflects the snobbish and dismissive way in which Anna’s family treats her simply because she rejects some social norms, such as completing college, advancing her career, and getting married. Anna is intelligent and creative, but her family does not value these traits, highlighting