What is Alex's book

Alex's book of poetry is a symbol of his creative potential, and in the present-day timeline, Lydia's ongoing feelings for him. Zachary, Lydia, and Christine all wonder why Alex never wrote again after the publication of his first book, but it seems likely that this choice was related to his relationship with his father, who also stopped writing when the family moved from Bratislava. Though Alex fears becoming just like his father, his decision not to write inevitably invites the comparison. In the present, Christine notices that someone has taken Alex's book off the shelf, and then later she sees Lydia reading it. This is evidence of her feelings for Alex and it foreshadows their affair.