Death

Through the almost constant presence of death in the novel, Bardugo uses this theme to push the idea that death is unavoidable and a natural part of life. In establishing this theme, Bardugo makes sure that death pervades the novel. The entirety of Lethe House is centered around death, as Dawes tells Alex the name for the house is a reference to the River Lethe from Greek mythology. Dawes explains, “Lethe is the final boundary the dead must cross” (207), which positions Lethe House as a division between life and death. This is further suggested by Alex’s death and resurrection as she crosses in and out of the borderland between life and death. Lethe House is a society that directly deals with this connection between life and death. With the presence of the Veil and ghosts, the affirmation of some kind of afterlife within the novel...