“The Southern Reach had become a backward, backwater agency, guarding a dormant secret that no one seemed to care much about anymore, given the focus on terrorism and ecological collapse. The Voice had, in its gruff way, typified his mission ‘to start’ as being brought in to ‘acclimate, assess, analyze, and then dig in deep,’ which wasn’t his usual brief these days.”

This description of the Southern Reach solidifies it as a symbol of secrecy and introduces Control’s point of view that the agency needs plenty of help to fix its issues and figure out Area X. He needs to find solutions, as shown by his directive from The Voice, whose gruff characterization and power also reveals the hierarchy and power imbalances within the agency.

“‘Never do something for just one reason,’ his grandpa had told him more than once, and that, at least, Control had taken to heart.”

The repeated use of advice from Control’s family deepens his character and gives readers a sense of his backstory. In turning to his grandfather’s memory for advice, the reader learns that Control lives his life according to the example and expectations set by his highly successful grandfather and mother.

“Or ‘an intruder’ as Grace put it, still unable to say anything to him remotely like the word alien. If anything, Ghost Bird was healthier now than before she’d left; the toxins present in most people today existed in her and the others at much lower levels than normal.”

In the first chapter, readers already experience bizarre, unknowable occurrences, such as Ghost Bird having no toxins in her body. This important detail, as well as the intentional use of words like “alien” and “intruder,” plant curiosity, spurring questions like how Ghost Bird can be free of toxins and if Area X is alien. There are many profound questions of why and how to push the narrative forward.