payment page
Owen is a main character, but he is also almost entirely absent from the novel’s forward action. Readers learn about him in flashbacks and memories filtered through Hannah’s and Bailey’s perceptions. Usually, major characters in novels grow or change, but any changes for Owen occur only in other characters’ views of him. Initially, he appears to be a devoted husband and father. The family peacemaker, he consoles Hannah about her failed attempts to connect with Bailey. His disappearance calls this perception into question, however. Suddenly, everyone assumes the worst, and Hannah and Bailey wrestle with how his actions seem at odds with his personality. Every new bit of information underscores Owen’s deceptions, especially his use of a false identity. Yet, by the end of the book, Hannah and Bailey understand that, though Owen may be lost to them, he is and was the loving, devoted family man they knew. Owen often talks about his profound love for Bailey, but he also demonstrates it in his willingness to abandon his life to ensure her well-being.
Though Owen is largely confined to others’ memories, the clues he leaves behind reveal a man of considerable imagination, resourcefulness, and intelligence. If not for the legal issues at his workplace, Hannah may never have discovered his real story. These same traits enable Owen to aid Nicholas in his criminal enterprise, to send his former father-in-law to prison, and to engineer Avett’s downfall. Despite his involvement with Nicholas’s illegal activity, Owen demonstrates a moral code in his decision to cut ties with Nicholas and to not support Avett’s misdeeds. However, both Nicholas and Charlie question how good of a person Owen really is, suggesting he may have a darker side than either Hannah or Bailey want to explore. Readers are left to determine which view of Owen is the better interpretation.
