The handkerchief symbolizes the connection of individuals to one another and to history. Like books, Kit’s father’s handkerchief is a comfort to her in times of stress: He gave it to her to wipe her nose when she was crying, but she instead tucked it away because she “liked to keep pieces of people” (50). Years later, she associates it with his role in developing her love of reading: “Books are bridges, my father had said to me when I was a child. They show how we’re connected. I clutched his handkerchief in my pocket, tracing the stitching of his initials” (20). As Kit confronts the challenges of setting up the library, she rubs the handkerchief like a talisman for protection.

The handkerchief’s presence in both the Prologue and Epilogue emphasizes its role as a thread through the historical narrative. The passing of the handkerchief from Kit to Marcelle in the World War I timeline symbolizes Kit giving a piece of herself to Marcelle as she resolves to provide her with what she needs to find a happy ending. In the Epilogue, readers see that Kit kept her vow and Marcelle kept the handkerchief; she passes it on to Wendy like the passing of a torch.