Anna hides her identity from everyone, even those closest to her, because she thinks most people “would recoil from that proximity to evil” – they’d shun her because of her father’s activities (p. 250). Do you agree with her?
I’m halfway through the novel, so my opinion may evolve. However, I think Anna’s identity is also hidden from the reader. I have a bit of a challenge in trying to understand her character. The character as a child doesn’t line up with the character as an adult.
I do. Most people would not want to associate themselves with the family of a serial killer because they’d believe that someone in the family must of known, or that the family is tainted in some way. That’s why she changed her name and hid her identity. Think about it, did you ever hear anything about the families of Ted Bundy or John Gacy, not at all. They were all horrified, or embarrased, and most likely wanted to disassociated themselves with that person.
At first I thought no she should not have hide her past from love ones. I thought she needed their love and understanding. But Susan as I read your remark I agree with you. Growing up in Seattle I knew a lot about Ted Bundy and before he was finally caught and when we figured he was still in the area it was frightening to be out and about. I do think I remember people blaming the mother. Seems like often people blame the mother!
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Thanks for your comments Paula!
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I absolutely agree with Anna and believe that she did the right thing hiding her identity. I don’t think she would have had a chance at any kind of normal life if she had revealed her relationship with her father. She had enough to try to work through with her identity without trying to manage the reactions of others.
Anna had to hide in order to have a chance of living.
I do agree with her. People don’t even want to purchase houses in which someone died of natural causes, much less if a murder occurred there. And they don’t want to associate with the child of a serial killer, especially one who was so obviously deranged and killed in a such a horrific manner. Hiding her identity was Anna’s only chance at a normal life free from controversy. I can’t envision her passing the background and psychological testing requisite to becoming a peace officer! Yikes!
I don’t know that they would shun her, but her father’s infamy would cloud how others would perceive Anna. They may be curious or nosy or make assumptions about her none of which would be comfortable for her. I completely understand her wanting to distance herself from it all.
Yes, she did need to disguise her real identity. People would definitely have been spooked by the fact that she is the daughter of a serial killer. She wouldn’t have been able to trust anyone and would have wondered if they wanted to be close to her due to her famous father.
People often have strong reactions whether warranted or not. Guilt by association is a very real phenomenon, and we all know that people will frequently make judgments with absolutely no thought. The daughter of a serial killer would, at the very best, be viewed with raised eyebrows or suspicion. At the worst she would be harassed and even threatened or harmed. Elena was right to become Anna. This was the only way she could create a life based on her own actions and feelings.
I think she had to hide her identity because everyone would have looked at her differently if they knew she was the daughter of a serial killer. She wouldn’t have been able to have the job she did. She would have had a very difficult life.
I understand why she hid her identity from people even those close to her. Guilt by association unfortunately and unjustly could have happened and the chance of it made her wary.
I definitely understand why she would want to hide that from everyone. As others have already commented, people are often quick to assume that those connected to criminals (i.e., Ted Bundy) knew and/or are somehow responsible for what happened. I can’t see how revealing that part of her past would help on a job interview or social media profile, but I also wonder how long she can keep that buried. I am still interested to see if this impacts her professionally in the sequel. That plus the DNA marker still pose potential problems for Anna as she attempt to heal and move forward.