The Echo Maker

Karin, the second protagonist, is Mark’s older sister who protected him from their parents’ erratic behavior. Mark was Karin’s only source of validation. Their parents were too self-involved and distanced from reality to give her meaningful feedback about herself, and Mark’s feedback was positive only when Karin pleased him. As a result, Karin lives for nuggets of approval from other people. Mark, after the accident, sees this clearly in Karin when he tells Weber that there is nothing to Karin; all she needs is a pat of approval now and then.

After Mark’s accident, Karin uses Mark to validate herself, keeping him dependent instead of pushing him to look after himself. Mark’s rejection leaves Karin adrift. She has no one to confirm the identity she has come to rely on, and she is conflicted in whether she really wants Mark to be cured. She is gratified by his idealization of the “real” Karin because she knows she is the person he is praising, even if he doesn’t realize it.

Karin ultimately finds her sense of value in her work at the crane refuge. She is no longer stuck in the routine of customer service; she is actively seeking donations and funds to maintain the integrity of the natural world. Her identity is no longer tied up in other people’s approval. It has become an ongoing negotiation with the natural world that both needs her and sustains her.

Neuropsychologist Gerald Weber is the third protagonist. He is described in appearance as a cross between Charles Darwin and Santa Claus. Weber has written several books comprised of case studies of people with unusual neurological conditions that effect perception and reason. Weber’s intent is to put the stories in a format that will promote understanding and sympathy. He had the sense that by telling his patients’ stories, he was healing them. However, as the field of neuroscience progresses, he has become increasingly unsure of his largely psychological approach, particularly as regards his most recent book. He fears he may have begun to use his subjects rather than help them. With Mark, for example, he is interested in recording Mark’s story, but when it comes time for treatment, he suggests cognitive behavioral therapy and walks away without considering the medical aspect of Mark’s condition.

Weber has been married for 30 years to Sylvie, and they have come to know each other so well that they are barely separate people. This becomes a problem for Weber when he realizes that he has lost his way in his professional life. When he needs to change his goals and self-concept, Sylvie resists. She is satisfied with him just the way he is, and the negative reviews that dismay him seem irrelevant to her. She illustrates the difficulties inherent in The Negotiation of Identity. In order to make the change he needs to make, Weber must find someone who will echo back to him the identity he is trying to shape. Barbara serves that function for him because she is undergoing a similar reorientation.

Barbara is in her forties, attractive and notable for her poise and unruffled calm. All the other characters are drawn to her. Karin wants to be like Barbara, who seems to be secure in herself. Weber sees in Barbara someone as broken as himself. Mark considers her the only true thing in his life. Ironically, Barbara is the least honest person in the story. She has hidden her identity from everyone, especially the fact that she caused Mark’s accident by stepping in front of his truck. At the same time, her care for Mark is genuine, and unlike the other people in Mark’s life, she has no ulterior motive other than to support him.

Like Weber, Barbara has gradually felt her identity being whittled away by a career gone astray. She was once a high-powered news reporter, burning out on a stressful career. Stepping in front of Mark’s truck was an attempt to die by suicide. Mark was injured instead, and helping him recover helps Barbara find herself.

Daniel is thin and quiet. He reveres the natural world and is at the same time divorced from it. He is vegan and eats very little, intentionally depriving himself of energy. He is fulfilling a hermetic and messianic impulse but rejecting the balancing factor of his humanity. This reflects a rejection of the destruction wrought by humans on the natural world and echoes the theme of Ecosickness. Daniel tries to flow with the ongoing changes that create an individual’s identity. He meditates in order to help himself feel less like every change from moment to moment is a death.

Daniel is in denial of his bisexuality and the fact that he is using Karin as a substitute for Mark. He acts as a caretaker to Karin, who welcomes his care even as it makes her uncomfortable to be on what feels like the “wrong” end of the caregiving exchange.

Because Daniel cannot connect with others, he fails to transform the world in the way he wants to. Consequently, Daniel retreats even farther from humanity by following the cranes to the isolation of Alaska.