At the book's conclusion, do you think there is anyone who can be described as completely innocent? Do you think any good came of the tragedies?

At the book's conclusion, do you think there is anyone who can be described as completely innocent? Do you think any good came of the tragedies?

I tend to think that blame could be placed in the laps of all the characters, some more than others. I doubt that any of them think of them as innocent, mainly because they hung back from revealing their involvement or lied (sometimes to themselves). None of them will ever be able to shake their memories. We do know, however, of the founding of Henry's House by Young and Teresa. I would hope that other characters will be inspired to do something to benefit someone known or unknown.

All of the characters had a part in the deaths of the two people, some more than others. All lied about their involvement and sat back and watched Elizabeth go on trial for a crime she didn't commit, all the while saying that each would speak up if it came to her being convicted.

No one was completely innocent. It was horrible what Elizabeth had to endure after the death of Henry, so many people could have stopped what was happening. The only good that came was the founding of Henry’s House.

Although I don't think anyone is completely innocent, Young is less culpable than the other main characters. What she did wrong was to lie about her husband's absence from the controls the night of the explosion--and she lied only at his insistence. Right from the start, Young feels guilty about her lie and it gnaws at her.
One factor here is that Young and Pak's marriage is in some ways a traditional Korean marriage. Pak feels that he is the head of the family and can tell Young what to do. Young feels that she should defer and submit to her husband, to some extent. Her traditional view of her role made it difficult for her to go against her husband's wishes, until she is completely morally outraged by both her husband's and her daughter's misdeeds. Once she is outraged by their behavior, she is freed to act.

What a story! Lies, lies and more lies! Really Young was the only one who had no ulterior motives - being the obedient wife she was brought up to be, she obeyed Pak's order to stay in the submarine and to tell no one that he was not there for the last few minutes of the fateful day. Everyone else was so busy being angry, jealous, envious, lustful, and deceiving themselves and everyone else, it was a real puzzle to conclude who the villain was. As far as anything good coming from the tragedies, I cannot think that anything good did come from them, except the Henry House dedicated to providing therapy, day care and weekend camps for special-needs children.

In my opinion, all of the characters had a part in the deaths of the two people, some more than others. All lied about their involvement and sat back and watched Elizabeth go on trial for a crime she didn't commit, all the while saying that each would speak up if it came to her being convicted.

Though Young did lie about Pak leaving the building, she was more innocent than any of the other characters. Once she realized what Pak and Mary had done, she stood up to them and held her ground. I think Young standing up to Pak was a good thing that came out of the tragedy . Not only for Young, but as a parent she set a good example for Mary.

I think only the children were innocent. Every adult, including Mary, was at least partially responsible for the tragedy that occurred.

The good that came out of it is that Matt and Janine got divorced (it was clearly a toxic marriage), Young stood up to both Pak and Mary, and Mary took responsibility for her actions.

I ended my overall review of this book with exactly that question. At the same time, I was implying that no one person was responsible.

I was wondering that myself. Of all the characters I think Teresa was the least culpable of all the characters. Even though she had her own challenges, she seemed the most honest and forthright.

I think everyone owned some part of the blame.

the only truly innocent here was the child who died. No one tried to help him. things just kept rolling along in full view of the participants. No one spoke up for him until it was too late

There were no innocents other than the young children used as experimental mice by their parents & the Yoos. All others played a role that lead to tragedy, lying, coverup, heartache. Ultimately, no real good came from the multiple tragedies. The conclusion felt a bit Shakespearean.

No, I think all the adults had some part in the tragedy. By hiding the truth so the prosecution could not go forward truthfully. And innocent woman was charged and almost convicted of murder, she only had thoughts of what it would be like to be free. Something that all the mother's had felt, if they could be honest about it. She was tired that was all.

Sadly (but probably realistically), there were no totally innocent adults. Of course, the children who were taken into the "submarine" and used as experiments were innocent.

I don’t believe that any character’s hands are completely clean. However, one person’s bad decision can set off a chain of terrible events through others that no one could have anticipated.