Exiles

As the title of the novel suggests, a central theme is home and exile. Rita says to Falk, “I don’t need to tell you, Aaron, what it’s like to suddenly feel exiled from your own community by people you trusted [...] But I can imagine it’s hard” (245). Events in the previous Aaron Falk novels, including Falk being in a fire, resulted in him avoiding Kiewarra. By the end of Exiles, Falk decides that he is interested in visiting Kiewarra again. Falk’s home being similar to Marralee aids him in solving the mystery of Kim’s disappearance. He realizes that “this is a small-town festival. Strangers wave at strangers from rides” (316). This realization leads him to see Kim was never at the festival. Raco aids Falk in coming to this conclusion, saying: “It’s like she was gone before she was gone” (283). Falk and the others at the festival saw what they expected to see of their home rather than the plain facts in front of them.

Kim’s exile involved her choice to break up with Charlie and marry Rohan. The Marralee community generally sided with Charlie, and Kim moved to Adelaide. The separation between Kim and the residents of Marralee was social and geographical.