Fallen

The events of Fallen take place in the context of a battle between good and evil that has been raging for thousands of years. This ancient context influences everything that happens, even though protagonist Luce has no awareness of it until the final chapters. As she proceeds on a journey to self-discovery, she also discovers the past’s influence on the present. The novel’s Prologue establishes an image of what it looks like when Luce and Daniel reunite in each lifetime: a passionate kiss before shadows take Luce away. This moment in time helps establish the dangers that come with Luce and Daniel’s love story, informing Daniel’s decisions in the present.

When Luce first encounters Daniel, she begins to have impulses and visions that seemingly come out of nowhere for her. However, these feelings are directly tied to her past lives and past encounters with Daniel. In Chapter 1, when Luce first sees Daniel, “for a split second, [she sees] a flashing image of herself folded into those arms,” and “the vision stay[s] so clear that she almost t[akes] off toward him” (38). Luce acknowledges that these feelings are “crazy,” but she cannot help but feel like “[s]he recognize[s] him from somewhere” (40).