The Danube

The river Danube is a symbol of the connections that run between people even when they are far apart. The Danube itself is one of the longest rivers in Europe, and passes through 10 European countries. As such, Selin can sit with Ivan in Hungary and speculate on whether Svetlana is also in the same river in Serbia. Ivan and Selin also canoe down the Danube, and Selin is surprised to realize that, despite being in the deep countryside, she is heading back towards Budapest; in a sense, then, she realizes she seems to be going backwards with Ivan.

The Daube is also a symbol of time, and the flow of time, in the novel. When Selin and Ivan canoe down the river, Selin sees another couple rowing past and thinks to herself "for a moment it felt like we weren't in the Danube at all...