“Guilt is a hunter. My conscience mocked me, picking fights like a petulant child.”

These are the first lines of the book and Joana’s opening narrative. Joana’s guilt plagues her throughout the novel, and it also motivates her to help others. The idea that the mind hunts those with secrets is a theme that plays out throughout the novel.

“Fate is a hunter.”

These words open Florian’s first section and assert the idea that destiny stalks us. The hunter motif is seen throughout the novel—and “the hunt,” as a metaphor for war, provides an explanation for the loss of humanity in both the hunters and hunted.

“Shame is a hunter.”

Shame plagues Emilia and also drives her forward. When she finally releases it, she is free to become a truly loving mother and die in peace.