The last public garbage incinerator on Barren Island, according to the city records, was closed in 1919; the last glue factory, in 1933. But that was Barren Island, not Barren Shoal, about which there are no records. Not even my grandson Eric, the anthropologist, has had any luck with finding out more than I, and he knows how to find things better than anyone.
-- Marta

Importance: This paragraph introduces one of the novel's primary themes from the outset: the importance of preserving and remembering history. Because there are no records of Barren Shoal, to the extent that even a professional, such as Marta's grandson could not locate them, there is no way to preserve the island's history short of Marta orally telling her story. If there is no record and no trace of particular events, Marta wonders if there can be any meaning derived from them. Throughout the course of the novel, Marta will...