Patterson hints at the outcome of the story through his characters' names. Anne, the true protagonist, whose name means "grace" in Hebrew, gains strength throughout the story. She begins by doubting herself, her beliefs, her purpose, but finds her real place near the end of the story. The name Kathleen means "pure" or "virginal" in Celtic or Gaelic. Colleen is Gaelic for "girl," not usually used as an Irish given name. Deidre, Colleen's middle name, means "sorrow," "sorrowful," or "wanderer."

Justin is derived from "justice."

In an interview with Andre Bernard and Jeff Zaleski for Publishers Weekly, Patterson says that he has become aware that most people have short attention spans. "I just kept writing shorter, then cutting some chapters down, and making two chapters out of one," he says. "In my gut, it felt like this is the way it should be, for my books anyway." Many...