62 pages • 2 hours read
Barbara DavisThe Echo of Old Books: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Books
As the title suggests, books are an important recurring symbol in the story and point to different things for different characters. For Ashlyn, books and the bookstore have always been a safe space and a source of comfort, especially as they were her only refuge during a troubled childhood. After the Atwaters bequeath the store and their apartment to Ashlyn, books literally provide her with a home and livelihood.
Ashlyn’s strong connection with books, particularly old ones, is also a function of her psychometric abilities. Her gift of reading the echoes of old books is what drives the plot, as it draws her to Hemi and Belle’s story. Their companion books—Regretting Belle and Forever, and Other Lies—are important plot devices, as one of the two timelines in the story unfolds through their chapters. The books also contribute to the overall mystery by presenting two accounts of the same story, but with flipped perspectives and missing details.
In this way, the two books are also an important symbol calling to the theme of Two Sides of the Story. Hemi’s and Belle’s differing accounts, and the conviction that each of them have in their respective feelings of betrayal, show how multiple perspectives on the same situation can coexist.
Ashlyn’s Scar
Ashlyn’s scar, which she acquires the night Daniel died, is an important symbol. The scar runs across her palm, slicing her lifeline in half; this symbolizes how it divides Ashlyn’s life into a before and an after. Because of the manner and context in which Ashlyn gets the scar, it serves as a constant reminder of a painful memory—the one in which Daniel died. His death and his last words to her deepen Ashlyn’s lack of self-worth, as they remind her that there was another person in addition to her parents who was supposed to love her but chose to leave her. As a result, Ashlyn becomes wary of opening up to love and romance, and after Daniel’s death, Ashlyn doesn’t see anyone else until she meets Ethan.
By the end of the book, however, the scar takes on a different meaning. Ashlyn comes to see the separation of her life into a before and an after as a good thing, and the scar symbolizes a second chance. Her life before Daniel was marred by tragedy but is now filled with love and warmth through Ethan and his extended family. Thus, the scar as a symbol points to the theme of Heartbreak, Tragedy, and Starting Afresh.
The Photo Album
Helene’s photo album is an important recurring symbol. It is a tangible representation of Marian’s memories of her mother and links directly to Helene’s culture. After Helene passes away, the album goes missing. Marian recognizes its disappearance as her family’s attempt to erase any memory of Helene, and she later discovers that the erasure extends to Helene’s cultural identity as well.
The photo album stays missing for years and symbolizes a missing piece of the past. Marian eventually gets it back from Corinne, who admits to having hidden it from her the entire time. Here, the photo album is an important plot device because it allows Marian to see a different side of her sister. As she had always assumed, Corinne did hide the album out of spite toward her; however, a part of her also wanted to keep the album for herself, in memory of a mother whose closeness she lost to her younger sister. For the first time, Marian recognizes that Corinne did love their mother, too.
At the end of the book, Hugh gifts Marian the album that Ashlyn repaired and restored. The gifting of it is symbolic of how Hugh and Marian have managed to repair the past by confronting Corinne, thus clearing up the final misunderstanding between them. Furthermore, since the album is gifted on Hanukkah, it signifies how Marian successfully reconnected with not just her mother’s memories, but her culture and traditions as well.
