Love triangles abound in literature, so the Etaa, Hywel, Meron triangle in not in itself remarkable. The emotional attachment between the alien Tarn and human Etaa, is not remarkable in science fiction; just consider E.T., Enemy Mine, and Doc Smith's Lensman and Wyrzel. The ploy of the three narrators, each with a different viewpoint, has been done before, too. Ultimately, what makes this story work better than the sum of its plot is the reader's sympathy for Etaa evoked by her isolation from all she has held familiar and beloved. The reader can appreciate her remarkable strength of character in remaining herself under pressure to change. Etaa's love for her child, which ultimately means relinquishing him to the care of others in order to provide him with a future, is sure to arouse sympathy in the most hard-hearted.