This seems to be an allegory for the guilt that mothers feel; do they do enough for their children, or do they do too much? In this isolated community mothers constantly disappear, seemingly due to some fault with their parenting. This is just a fact of life that everyone excepts until the stranger shows up.
The cover of the book has a retro look but, so far, I have no idea what the significance of the huge bonfire pictured means.
The cover of the book has a retro look but, so far, I have no idea what the significance of the huge bonfire pictured means.