Family

Despite Noah and Michael’s estrangement and personal differences, their familial connection forms the basis of a deeply meaningful rapport, thereby demonstrating the inherent value of such family ties. At the beginning of the novel, Noah and Michael have never met before. Noah is almost 70 years older than Michael, and they have very different interests and temperaments. However, circumstances bring them together, and over the course of their trip to Nice, they begin to form a more meaningful bond. Even only a few days after they first meet, Noah thinks to himself, “Maybe Michael could come into Manhattan for the odd Saturday outing” (156) in the future. This sense of connection grows so strong that, by the end of their trip, Noah is willing to be Michael’s guardian for the entire remainder of Amber’s prison sentence, which has about two years remaining. Michael reciprocates this...