Promises and Pomegranates

Kal is the Elena’s equally dynamic love interest. He begins the novel with an inability to self-reflect, a susceptibility to obsession, and a sense of misogyny that allows him to force a woman into marriage. Kal thinks of himself as monstrous, comparing himself to Hades, the king of the dead. At a young age, he embraced violence to satiate his bloodlust, and he is a remorseless killer. Not only does gore not upset him, but he also enjoys the sight, smell, and taste of blood during sex. Elena describes his “icy heart,” an assessment of his feelings before he grows to love her. As Kal begins to feel himself changing in regard to his wife, he says, “I hadn’t known that anything was missing. Didn’t realize that I was practically living without one of my limbs, trying to navigate life as though nothing was wrong. But it wasn’t sex itself that I felt like drowning without. It was sex with her” (154). At first, he attributes his feelings to “obsession” and his sexual nature, as he becomes even more possessive and protective of Elena.

Soon, Kal changes enough—growing to love her and becoming more vulnerable in that love—that he must remind himself of his “mission here. That she’s a pawn in the grand scheme of things. An unwilling participant in a game much larger than she even understands. Means to an end” (211). Fearful of being betrayed by a woman he loves again, as he was by Carmen, Elena’s mother and Kal’s former lover, when she invited another man into Kal’s bed, Kal doesn’t want to admit that his feelings for Elena have deepened. Even Carmen can see how much Kal cares for her daughter, and he finally confronts his own feelings when he realizes that the secret of his past affair with Carmen could ruin their chances together. He says, “Without her, I feel like one half of a soul, existing aimlessly, waiting for the earth to reclaim me” (281), showing just how changed he is by her. Not being with Elena feels like death, like losing a part of himself. Further, he claims, “Months ago, when I forced her hand, I hadn’t even realized anything in my life was missing. Didn’t realize I wanted someone there to balance me out, to peel back the curtains and shed a little light, so long as I also got to paint her in shadows” (281). Kal alludes to the myth of Hades and Persephone, likening himself to the god associated with death and darkness, while Elena, like Persephone, brings goodness and light into his life. Her dual nature matches and complements his own.

Kal’s personality blends ruthless control with surprising moments of tenderness, making him both fearsome and magnetic. He is obsessive, violent, and domineering, but these traits are driven by deep insecurity, abandonment, and longing for connection. Though he cultivates an identity as a cold, calculating enforcer, Kal is intensely sensitive beneath the surface, especially in relation to sound, intimacy, and betrayal. His charisma comes not only from his physical dominance but also from his intensity of focus; he makes whoever he fixates on feel both endangered and indispensable. Stubborn, prideful, and hungry for power, he is also capable of loyalty and devotion once he allows himself to admit vulnerability. By the end, Kal is defined less by his capacity for destruction and more by his capacity for transformation, revealing him as a man whose hardness masks a desperate need for love.

Elena’s father Rafael functions as a representative of society—Elena’s antagonist—a world that prioritizes a daughter’s obedience and sense of duty over her intelligence, confidence, or independence. As a child, Elena would pick fights with others to prove to her father that she was more than just a “Mafia princess,” and could be trusted to make her own life choices. It didn’t work. When Rafe presents her with her options, to marry Mateo or submit to death by the Mafia Elders, he seems unperturbed. Of her intended marriage to the abusive Mateo, Elena says, “When you grow up in the world of la famiglia, you’re taught to take the abuse. Fight back when you can, but on the whole and especially where men are involved, you’re expected to put up with it. That’s why I was still going to marry Mateo de Luca” (146-47). Her life certainly wasn’t going to be more peaceful in her parents’ house. Then, when Rafe arranges for Kal to kill Mateo and forcibly marry Elena, even without his wife’s knowledge, he chastises Elena for having sex with Kal and bringing the entire situation down on herself. He doesn’t hesitate to express his deep disappointment, saying, “I thought I could count on you, Elena” (34), though he never expresses approbation, let alone praise.

Rafe was a cold husband to Carmen, which helped drive her into Kal’s arms when Kal was only a teenager. Then, Rafe was so detached that he remained oblivious to their affair, though it was of some duration. He was so stingy with his attention to his wife and daughters that they actually felt the need to compete for it with one another, as Carmen later reveals to Elena. When Kal nearly kills Carmen in the Riccis’ home, Rafael seems completely unconcerned about any potential danger to his spouse and is far more concerned about his financial status and that of Ricci Inc. His callousness is further suggested by the fact that he pays men to beat Elena up, slice into her thigh, and ejaculate in her hair when she’s passed out at the bus station in Aplana.