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He understood that these were extraordinary times, and if their old life was ever restored to them, nothing would be the same.

In Chapter Ten, Hosokawa thinks about how much he loves Coss, how full his life has become, and how impossible it would be to maintain this existence if the captivity ended. Hosokawa and Coss could stay together if the crisis ended; in fact, the narrator explains that Hosokawa would be willing to leave his wife and children. But Patchett implies that the quality of Hosokawa and Coss’s love has as much to do with their situation as it does with their innate qualities. Captivity is something of a dream world, far removed from drab everyday worries about getting to work on time, eating lunch, figuring out the kids’ schedules, paying rent, and so on. If Hosokawa and Coss returned to normal life, the petty concerns of normal life would taint their perfect relationship.

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