Promises and Pomegranates

The Asphodel—once a hotel where Kal and his mother stayed, and now his home on Aplana Island—is a symbol of the death and darkness with which Kal is associated. When he introduces Elena to the place, she says, “The Asphodel. How strangely fitting. I can’t help wondering if he senses the irony of his home being named after part of the Greek underworld” (68). In Greek mythology, the Asphodel Meadows (also known as the Asphodel Fields) are the most populated area within Hades’s realm. This area is where most human souls go, the final stop for all those who aren’t particularly evil or exceptionally good. Kal has killed many people during his time working for Rafe, and the name of his home goes along with the fact that he reaps souls, adding to Elena’s sense that his home is a place that is “plagued by death and darkness” (231), just like he is.

On an island and in a life so beset by criminal activity, Kal finds peace here. In some ways, his home feels like a memorial to his mother, who’s been gone for 20 years, and this is appropriate given the asphodel flower’s association with remembrance.