Why do you think the author chose to open the book with a prologue from an omniscient viewpoint?

The novel begins with a prologue from an omniscient viewpoint that describes a scene between an anonymous man and woman. Why do you think the author chose to open the book with this scene? How could the prologue be seen to be misleading? What could it suggest to us about the assumptions we make?

As mentioned earlier, I was surprised to find a Prologue. Maybe all Harper's books have them, but I don't remember and didn't go back and check. This Prologue, however, was particularly interesting. No names, no places are provided, and only the hint of "weak light" and "sea spray," but we have a definite conflict set in place immediately. Before I even started to read the novel I was on edge. What a clever and spell-binding beginning, and it's impossible to tell who is the most vulnerable character: him or her. And as readers move right on to Chapter One, they find the first word there is a name: Kieran. We have an immediate introduction to the novel's protagonist, and at the same time we have reason to believe he is in danger or may be the cause of it for someone else. This novel is IMPOSSIBLE to put down after an introduction like that!

I agree that the prologue was a way to set the scene and tone but to distance the reader from who and how the characters were connected to that event. It helped to draw me right into the story as well.

The prologue was truly effective in setting a tone of dread/foreboding from the first page. The reader certainly gets a sense of the beautiful setting, a young girl unaware of any threat -- and a very sinister presence lurking nearby. It leaves the reader feeling especially uneasy as we have no idea who the possible victim is -- or who may be the source of the threat. The result? We suspect practically everyone at some point as the chapters unfold!

The prologue set the stage for what’s to come without giving any thing away. Who was the woman? Who was the man? Why was she a Survivor? The reader feels the story’s tension and unease from the beginning and is anxious to get started unraveling what’s to come.

The prologue sent me off in the wrong direction! It definitely foreshadowed events to come... was it a love affair or a murder?! As I started reading, I forgot about it somewhat due to the fact that the story centered more on how Kieran was coping since the death of his brother. Even Olivia seemed to be a more secondary character, so while I knew her sister Gabby died the day of the storm, it NEVER entered my mind that her disappearance was something much more sinister! After Kieran caught Sean in the caves, I had one of those "aha" moments that left me dazzled by Jane Harper's talent as a writer!

Prologues are great for drawing me into the story. It is like having another mystery to solve, another clue to connect. I will usually go back a couple times while I read the story and reread the prologue. I think this particular prologue was used with it's 'omniscient viewpoint' so that we were prepared to look for more in the story - to not overlook any detail.