The Name of This Book Is Secret

“Gloria pronounced these words [quirky and offbeat] as if they were slightly distasteful, but Cass, not knowing precisely what they meant, thought they sounded just grand. She decided if she ever bought a house she would want to buy one just like the magician’s.”

This quote demonstrates Cass’s early identification with the magician and, by extension, the magician’s world. It indicates and foreshadows Cass’s belonging to that world, because she understands it on a personal level and rejects the shallow values that govern her ordinary world.

“His hairstyle was not a fashion choice; it was a philosophical one. Max-Ernest cut every hair on his head the exact same length because he didn’t like to favor one hair over another. Hairs may be dead cells, he reasoned, but they’re still growing things, and each one deserves to be treated fairly.”

Max-Ernest’s hairstyle symbolizes the worldview he has developed as a result of the situation with his parents. Max-Ernest must treat both his parents exactly the same, as any difference could be perceived as him choosing one over the other. This informs how he interacts with other things in his life and characterizes Max-Ernest as someone who tries to achieve perfect harmony and balance between disparate things, foreshadowing his future role as a mediator.

“Nonetheless, as they walked around, Cass could feel the personality of the dead magician. The floorboards were worn in the places he had walked over and over. The closets showed his handprints. And the wood-paneled walls seemed to have a special sheen where his shoulders had rubbed against them.

‘I think he was a nice man,’ said Cass.

‘How can you tell?’ asked Max-Ernest.

‘I just can.’”

This moment strengthens Cass’s identification with the magician, indicating she is “worthy” of entering further into the Secret world because she can understand it. In addition, the protagonists’ warm reaction to the magician’s well-worn house emphasizes imperfection over flawlessness. This encoding is one way the good side is distinguished from the bad, as the Midnight Sun is driven by a quest for perfect youth.

“It was as if she [Ms. Mauvais] and Dr. L had taken photographs of themselves at just the perfect moments when they looked their absolute best, and then they had cast a spell so that they would look like their photographs forever…They were terrifying. At least to Cass.”

This quote emphasizes the unnatural quality of the perfection that is so prized by the Midnight Sun; Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L’s peculiar timeless beauty contrasts sharply with the magician’s well-worn house, indicating their untrustworthiness. This quote also foreshadows the later reveal that Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L are, in fact, trying to “look like their photographs forever,” as their main goal is acquiring the formula for immortality.

“Cass very glad to see her mom. It had been a long and scary day and a hug had rarely felt so good. But there was sadness in the hug, too. More than anything, Cass wanted to tell her mother everything that had happened at the magician’s house. But she couldn’t.”

This moment occurs after the initial foray into the magician’s house, wherein Cass and Max-Ernest step into the secondary world for the first time. They directly involve themselves in its workings when Cass takes the magician’s notebook, making themselves targets for the villains. This quote represents the distancing effect this change has on Cass and her ordinary world as she moves further into the secondary one.

“‘That’s not what I meant,’ said Max-Ernest. ‘I thought we were partners. You said we were collaborating.’

Cass immediately bristled at this suggestion. ‘I never said that!...I’m a survivalist, remember? I don’t count on anybody but myself.’

‘Oh. Well, I’ve never counted on anybody either.’

Something about the way he said this—maybe it was the fact that tears were welling his eyes—made Cass think twice.”

This moment foreshadows the conflict that will arise between Max-Ernest and Cass when they end their partnership in Chapter 15. It also foreshadows the direction of Cass’s character arc; this moment demonstrates the harmful effects of her emphasis on independence and survivalism and plants seeds for her movement into collaboration and interdependence.

“Across the street, Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais were slipping into a waiting limousine. The limousine was painted a blue so dark it was almost black, and decorated with tiny, jewel-like stars. Emblazoned in gold across the door were the image of a rising sun and the words: The Midnight Sun, Sensorium & Spa. The whole vehicle shimmered so brilliantly it looked enchanted.”

The limousine’s distinct appearance foreshadows the Midnight Sun’s real purpose as an evil cult. The spa’s branding appears dazzling and enchanting; however, these “enchantments” are dazzling on the outside only, as the Midnight Sun performs ritual sacrifice to achieve its ends.

“Yes, if you looked at us closely, there were many differences between us—like the birthmark on the back of Luciano’s neck that resembled so perfectly a crescent moon. But Luciano and I, we were identical in our hearts.”

This quote establishes the extremely close bond between the Bergamo brothers. This becomes significant later in the novel, particularly to Dr. L, as Cass is able to exploit this lingering bond to distract him during the ritual with Benjamin Blake.

“‘Good-bye,’ I said to Luciano.

‘No, not good-bye, just arrivederci,’ he said, looking up towards the sky. ‘We will be together always.’

‘Yes, together always,’ I said, trying to be as brave as he was. I touched my finger to the crescent moon of his birthmark and I closed my eyes.”

This introduces the crescent birthmark as a symbol of Luciano and of the brothers’ relationship. Although it’s one of the few things that physically distinguishes them from each other, it still serves as a point of connection for them, as it reflects Luciano’s unique identity. The birthmark later signifies to Cass that Dr. L is Luciano and that Luciano still exists somewhere inside of Dr. L.

“There was even a certain woman who needed only to say one word and I would see a dark gray cloud and then feel like I was drowning in the coldest lake on Earth—but I am getting ahead of myself. She appears a little later in my history. If only she had never appeared at all!”

This quote establishes Pietro’s synesthetic experience with Ms. Mauvais, or the Golden Lady. The associations he has with her are very negative and signal that she is not to be trusted. Benjamin Blake later experiences Ms. Mauvais in a similarly negative way, recalling this moment and reinforcing synesthesia as something that grants the individual unique perspectives or insights.

“This woman, she was so beautiful she seemed to make the whole world stand still. She had blue eyes and a waist so tiny she should have herself been a circus attraction. She had long blond hair, and she wore long, elegant gloves that reached up to her elbows. Gold jewelry glittered on her everywhere.”

Pietro’s description of the Golden Lady is extremely similar to the description of Ms. Mauvais in Chapter 7. This indicates a close connection between the two, provoking the inference that they might be one and the same. This also lays groundwork for the later reveal of the Midnight Sun’s quest for immortality.

“Instead, I spent the years living on my own on the streets, searching for my brother, checking the back of every neck for that crescent-shaped birthmark.”

In revisiting the crescent-shaped birthmark, the narrative underscores its importance. This passage further foreshadows that Dr. L is Luciano, as the birthmark is a defining feature that Pietro looks for while searching for his brother.

“Without saying good-bye, each turned away from the other and headed toward opposite ends of the hall.”

This moment parallels the separation that heralded Pietro and Luciano’s doom; Luciano and Pietro also parted without saying goodbye after arguing about the Golden Lady; following that, Luciano was kidnapped by the Golden Lady, and the brothers separated for good. This parallel creates suspense, as it suggests potentially disastrous consequences for Cass and Max-Ernest once they separate.

“For a second, [Cass] thought of Max-Ernest. Had a friend been with her, she might not have felt so uneasy. But she pushed the thought away. It was better working on her own, she reminded herself. That was the whole point of being a survivalist.”

This quote demonstrates the importance of Cass and Max-Ernest’s relationship in Cass’s individual character arc. Through her relationship with Max-Ernest, Cass learns the value of collaboration; her realization that his presence would have helped her indicates that she is progressing from total independence to interdependence.

“I say seem all the more ancient, beautiful, and secret, because in reality the Midnight Sun was not ancient but merely old…”

The descriptions of the Midnight Sun Spa also reflect the villains of the Midnight Sun. Ms. Mauvais and the other cult members appear beautiful on the outside, just like the spa’s exterior, but in reality they are also “merely old,” as they are artificially prolonging their youth. The symbolism here also hints at the Midnight Sun’s end goal of attaining immortality.

“No longer angry at him, she [Cass] was aware only of how lonely and scared she’d been since their partnership ended.”

Cass realizes the true value of collaboration and sees the folly in trying to rely on herself for everything. This moment also resolves the earlier suspense from Cass and Max-Ernest’s parting. They will not end up like Luciano and Pietro; they have reunited and forgiven each other, indicating that they will avoid tragedy and achieve success in the end.

“‘The science of the essence. The science of which all others are part,’ said Dr. L. ‘Everything on Earth springs from the same essential substance. Once you find it, anything is possible. Turning lead to gold. Old to young. Even turning frumpy real estate agents into beautiful women.’”

Dr. L’s statement here reveals the methods and ultimate goals of the Midnight Sun. The Midnight Sun is searching for the alchemical element that will grant them eternal youth; the ubiquitous quality of the essence “of which all others are part” also foreshadows synesthesia’s role in their plan, as the blending of the senses correlates with Dr. L’s belief in a single element that unites all things in the world.

“It was the hand of someone—of something—else. With fingers so thin and frail you could almost snap them off. With nails so yellow and cracked they were claws. With skin so translucent you could see every bone, every ligament, every vein.

It was the hand of an old woman.

A very old woman.

An older woman than Cass had ever seen.”

This reveal confirms that Cass’s suspicions were true: Ms. Mauvais is the Golden Lady and she is very old. This description also speaks to Ms. Mauvais’s character. While she appears to be the picture of perfection, with her “Barbie-like” looks, on the inside she is corrupt, willing to sacrifice children and do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. Likewise, her flawless, elegant gloves hide the truth of her aging body.

“‘Killed him, did we?’ Dr. L asked, half smiling. ‘Then who has the missing pages from his notebook? If he didn’t take them—’”

Dr. L’s statement implies that Pietro isn’t really dead, foreshadowing the reveal at the end of the novel when Cass and Max-Ernest receive a letter from P. B. This implication later contributes to Cass’s success, when she uses the Symphony of Smells to make Dr. L think Pietro is trying to communicate with him.

“He closed his eyes and inhaled, holding his breath as if he couldn’t bear to let the scent go…Completely lost in the moment, Dr. L let the Smoochie drop right out of his hand. When he opened his eyes, there were tears in them.”

This moment gives insight into Dr. L’s character, suggesting that he is more complex than he initially seemed—that he is perhaps not quite a total villain. The cotton candy scent reminds him of his days with Pietro, and his emotional reaction indicates that these memories still have a deep hold on him, signifying that he still has deep feelings for his lost brother.

“They had gray voices. Gray was the color of computer voices and recorded messages. In Benjamin’s experience, when people had gray voices they were usually lying…It was hard to believe that other people didn’t see the strangers’ words curling like smoke out of their mouths…”

Benjamin’s perceptions of Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L parallel Pietro’s description of the Golden Lady in Chapter 14. This characterizes Benjamin’s (and Pietro’s) synesthesia as giving them special insight and suggests an almost standardized interpretation of certain things among synesthetes. While not exactly the same, Pietro and Benjamin’s sensory experiences of Ms. Mauvais evoke similar feelings, which reinforces synesthesia as something that grants unique insight.

“Disgusted, Dr. L hurled Cass’s backpack into the flames. Inside the limo, Cass winced as if it were part of her that had been tossed into the fire.”

This scene emphasizes the identification between Cass and her backpack. The fact that it ends up in Dr. L’s hands, and that he then destroys it, shows that he is still a danger to Cass and Max-Ernest. In particular, Dr. L throwing the backpack into the flames creates a sense of foreboding that he might similarly metaphorically “burn” or “destroy” Cass in the future.

“I can’t tell you much about our villains’ actions after our heroes escaped…Still less can I tell you about their nefarious plans for the future, although I would bet my life they had them; creatures like Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais do not, as a rule, give up after a setback—they vow revenge.”

This comment from the narrator foreshadows the future villainy and destruction that Ms. Mauvais and Dr. L have yet to enact. Thus, the novel ends on a somewhat open note, paving the way for the story’s continuation in the sequel.