“Each store front a subtle nod to what the rumors implied: there was something hidden under the surface here. Some secret only we knew, that we weren’t letting on.”

The tight-knit community in Cutter’s Pass wants guests of the town to be intrigued by the idea of secrets without revealing any truths—the insiders profit from the tourism procured from the same dark history that traumatized the people in town. Cutter’s Pass is equally connected and divided by the secretive nature of the townspeople.

“These people who wouldn’t remember us, just as we wouldn’t remember them. In a year, two, they’d be nothing more than the redhead who broke her wrist working the zip line; the kid from Texas who wore a cowboy hat on the river.”

Even though Abby does not consider herself a part of the insider community at the novel’s opening, she also communicates a disconnect from the outsiders passing through town. Abby feels limited in how many meaningful friendships she has while living in Cutter’s Pass. However, Abby’s unique perspective as neither an insider nor an outsider allows her to uncover new evidence and solve the missing persons cases.

“Cory shared theories that none of us really believed: a hidden network of caves with an underground cult; a man in the mountains who had supposedly lived off grid for decades, protecting the land he deemed his own. […] like this was the Bermuda Triangle and not four square miles of solid ground with a well-defined perimeter.”

Cory’s ghost stories and legends reflect supernatural myths widely celebrated on the Appalachian Trail. His stories help to hide the truth about the disappearances while simultaneously portraying Cory as a character with something to hide. The legends also contribute to the mysterious and suspenseful mood of the novel.