When Crickets Cry: a Novel of the Heart

Water is a common symbol in Christianity and also in When Crickets Cry. In the Bible, rituals like baptism depend on water; salvation is described as the water of life, and Christ is referred to as living water; those in search of salvation are described as “thirsty.” The Well’s name refers to the biblical parable of the woman at the well—a woman who, despite having had five husbands and being a Samaritan typically despised by the Israelites, finds acceptance from Jesus. Davis’s watering hole, like the well in Samaria, quenches both physical and spiritual thirst.

The novel is set near Lake Burton, a human-made lake that submerged the abandoned town of Burton when the Tallulah River was dammed to generate hydroelectric power. Reese spends a great deal of time observing the lake, and he rows on it almost daily, a ritual that gives him space to contemplate life. Reese’s affluence has given him freedom to explore the lake; by contrast, Cindy and Annie’s poverty has kept them spending time on it. The lake symbolizes life: both the shame people bury beneath the surface and the truths waiting to be unveiled, and the way that circumstances allow some to have richer life experiences than others. 

Boats play an important role both in the life of the town and in the plot of the novel. In one sense, boats symbolize the body, the soul’s physical container. Just as he repaired hearts in his past life, in his present life, Reese refurbishes boats. He steeps himself in the workmanship, although he rates Charlie as more proficient, immersing himself in the nautical details as he once immersed himself in anatomy textbooks.

Boats also serve as vessels for movement along life’s timeline. When Reese takes Annie and Cindy on a tour of the lake in the phonetically named Podnah, he moves closer to his desire for a new partnership with Cindy. In Annie’s dream after her heart transplant, Emma’s final letter appears in the form of a sailboat on the lake. This metaphorical boat gives Reese permission to truly move on from his wife’s death.

The title When Crickets Cry alludes to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. After Macbeth murders Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, “I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.” Because his failure to save Emma resulted from his dependence on stimulants, Reese feels as responsible for Emma’s death as he would have if he’d murdered her.

Crickets also symbolize self-sacrifice for the greater good, ultimately pointing to the Christian idea of salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus. Crickets are most often associated with Annie: She raises them to sell at the local bait shop, and she even calls her Aunt Cindy by the nickname “Cricket.” Annie feels that the crickets must die so she can live. The crickets also represent the greater exchange of the heart transplant, in which the donor must die so the recipient can live.