Words on Fire

“My name is Audra. In my language, Lithuanian, it means storm. But my language had become illegal. [...] Which meant I had no name.”

With the novel’s opening lines, Audra introduces herself and the translation of her name. By doing so, she also sets the scene of her occupied country, introducing the conflict of unjust laws. By telling readers she is nameless, she also foreshadows her transformation as she begins her journey to discover herself and what role she wants to have in the fight for Lithuania’s independence.

“Instead, I was the girl who ducked into the shadows when we had visitors, the girl who watched life from afar but rarely participated. The girl who wanted to be more than she was but knew such a thing would be the kind of magic even my father couldn’t achieve.”

Audra characterizes herself as a timid girl, which stands in stark contrast to the meaning of her name, “storm.” She is self-aware and recognizes her own aspirations but does not consider them a possibility at the novel’s start. This wish foreshadows Audra's transformation into a brave, outspoken member of the Lithuanian resistance.

“Be happy like him, be smart like him. But do not travel like him, that’s not for you.”

Before her arrest, Audra’s mother Lina encourages Audra to emulate her father Henri in demeanor but not in his work. This demonstrates Lina’s desire to always keep Audra safe while ironically foreshadowing Audra’s continuation of her father’s book-carrying work.