That, like the love his characters urgently seek, is a mystery that remains intact.

The main characters of both seek redemption through a gradual confrontation with the past.

The leading character, a 15-year-old (Madeleine Potter), seeks sanctuary and security married to a much older man.

Amnesiac and disorientated, the character seeks to understand what his true identity is.

The three main characters each seek progress, but through different channels.

Even the most dispossessed characters seek acceptance, not wealth.

Through the book, each character seeks ways to protect these groups.

Some characters seek protection in the city while others become collaborators.

Other characters seek refuge in the defensive pleasures of humor.

The main character seeks to settle down in an environment where all norms are habitually broken.