The Nature of Fragile Things

“Surely something resides in this heart that is not perishable—and life is more than a dream.”

This epigraph, taken from the writings of 18th-century British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft communicates the constancy of the human heart in the face of worldly change. It is an apt sentiment for describing the experiences of Meissner’s protagonist Sophie, who undergoes a fundamental change of identity. Despite the numerous changes that Sophie undergoes, she remains at heart the same person, affected by the events that shaped her in Ireland.

“I close my eyes as the heady fragrance of the ocean transports me as if in a dream to Gram’s cottage in Donaghadee above the Irish Sea. I can see the house in my mind’s eye just as it was when I was young, back when life was simple.”

Meissner makes one of many associations between the weather and landscape of Sophie’s native Ireland and San Francisco. The reference to closing one’s eyes and allowing the sense of smell to take over shows Sophie relinquishing her most objective sense: sight. Instead, she immerses herself in the olfactory, which is close to memory in the brain. This indicates a wishful sense of homecoming for Sophie as she alights on this strange shore.

“And then he turns his head in my direction. Our eyes meet. Martin’s closed mouth curves into a relieved, welcoming smile, and it’s almost as if he’d read my thoughts. Yes, that half smile seems to say. You are exactly what I wanted.”

Sophie’s first encounter with Martin reveals his charm and elusiveness. The eye contact and welcoming smile show that Martin can easily win people over, while his uncanny ability to read their thoughts indicates his power over others. Still, his closed, half-smile shows that he is concealing something. Sophie is also gifted at reading people, as she can see the satisfaction on Martin’s face at finding that she fits his specification.