[Insert EVERY Expletive Known to Man Here]

I have no idea where I should even begin. Initially, I was heartbroken and angered by the way the author ended the novel. After the rest of her village learns about the secret spring, someone eventually informs the military about it. Noria becomes a water criminal and is put to death by the end of the novel. And most annoying of all, the secrets that Noria and Sanja learn form the CDs are never revealed. After finishing the novel I couldn’t help but think, “Emmi Itaranta how could you do this to me?! You can’t just kill off Noria and not tell me the secrets that she and Sanja learned and expect me to just be okay with that! That’s like round-house kicking me in the face!”  But after taking the time to think about the ending, I had a change of heart. Noria doesn’t need to explicitly tell the reader what she heard on the last CD because we already have an idea of what she learned. We already know that our actions bleed into the future and will determine how the future unfolds. Noria’s rejection of Commander Taro perfectly embodies this. Even though it would have been much easier for Noria to let the military have control of the spring, there is no doubt that her decision would have had a major impact on the future of her village (and maybe even beyond her community). I believe Noria put it best on page 252 when she says, “I believe that we must make hard choices everyday despite knowing that there is no reward… it’s the only way to leave a mark of your life that makes any difference.” Noria will not reap any benefits from her choice, but she will leave a lasting mark on future generations. So while the ending of this novel still makes me want to mutter little bits of profanity, I believe that this was the best way for the novel to end.