Leigh Sanders

Leigh Sanders is the main character and narrator of the novel. As an artist, Leigh sees the world through various colors that she describes in different shades and tones. At the beginning of the novel and in her memories, Leigh relies on pencils and charcoal, refusing to add these colors to her artwork. By the end, however, she creates a portfolio with increasing colors throughout each piece until she ends with a colored mosaic of Cicadas. Throughout her visit in Taiwan, Leigh is convinced that her mother turned into a bird after her suicide and sees glimpses of it. She becomes obsessed with finding the bird, even creating a net out of her clothing to try and capture it. Leigh also dreams of the bird in pain numerous times and struggles to sleep because of her desperation and sadness. By the end of the novel, even though...