The Night We Lost Him

Architecture and real estate function as symbols of identity, as they embody the different characters’ careers. Work and the way that a career-driven mentality shapes both individual and familial relationships are at the core of this novel, and each of its characters in some way becomes an exploration of what it means to derive identity from one’s profession rather than one’s personal life. This symbol helps the author explore The Search for Identity Within Families.

For Liam, his real estate business allows him an escape from his unstable childhood home, but Noone Properties also becomes his key point of connection to Grace, his long-term lover. Although they meet in secret throughout their lives, it is only at work that they can interact daily. In a way, his real estate business offers a means of living the life he truly wanted. Meanwhile, Sam and Tommy mirror this work ethic at the cost of their happiness. Employed at Noone, they are as focused on hotels, property, and real estate as their father, and many of the scenes that feature them also mention real estate. The men of the family are thus defined by their careers at the expense of their emotional relationships and well-being.