A Fatal Grace

“Touching her was like caressing a veneer of ice. There was a beauty to it, and a frailty he found attractive. But there was also danger. If she ever broke, if she shattered, she’d tear him to pieces. 

Saul’s comment about CC foreshadows what will happen when she finally does crack. CC is shattered upon meeting her real mother and kills her. 

“Anything CC didn’t like didn’t exist. That included her husband and her daughter. It included any unpleasantness, any criticism, any harsh words not her own, any emotions.” 

This is another assessment by Saul that summarizes CC’s approach to her family and to people in general. It also exposes her Li Bien philosophy as a way to avoid coping with emotion.

“And she tumbled down that dark chasm after them and found herself in a familiar room, at Christmas.” 

CC weeps as she recalls her traumatic childhood. She follows her tears into a memory of her mother. The quote implies that the dark chasm of her despair is a place she would prefer to keep buried.