The dream/vision sequences

[Enamoney]

I Think the groupings of dreams were a cycle of both inherited memory and time travel, as though the individual was living with their ancestors and acquiring from them, but then living as one of the people who had lived in that time. It resembled the current day character transformed into the one in whose memory he/she was immersed. I esteemed the piece of restoring familial recollections for the current-day scrutinize. The old traditions and especially the memories interface the two courses of occasions in such a phenomenal way.

[Muskan Upadhyaya]

I am still trying to figure out about the sequences. Sometimes I feel that the sequence is of time travel, but sometimes I feel as if it's just the ancestoral memories. But the author has given the instances where character can interact with ancestors which shows it's probably "time traveling".

[Vidhi Adhikari]

I felt like the sequences of visions were a little of both ancestral memory AND time travel in the sense that the character was living with the ancestors and learning from them, but at the same time living as one of them who had lived in that time. It was as though the current day character became the one in whos memory he/she was immersed.
I loved the aspect of bringing ancestral memory back to life for the current day reader. The old traditions and especially the memories connect the two timelines in such a great way.

This is an interesting interpretation of the character's life in both the present and at the time her ancestors were alive. It might be drawing parallels among both her present and past lives and how that has affected her supernatural powers.

[Susan Mcleod]

I believe that it could be a little of both as the grandmother goes through history and tells the tell of the past. She talks about the staff. She talks about her being alive during the time some of the ancestors were alive. Then she tells the tell that was passed down through tradition.

[Susan Mcleod]

I feel that this is both as the grandmother talks about traditions and being around when the ancestors were alive. She had told her granddaughter about the history behind the staff. She talked about the story about the whale and the bear.

[Ndagire Hassifah]

I think the sequence of this book is time travel because the character is able to live and interact with the ancestors.

[Uchechukwu Fortune Njoku]

I am still trying to grasp the sequences as they are somewhat strange. In any case, I'd lean towards any of these two - time travel or ancestral memories.

[Danielle Briggs]

I think they are both visions and ancestral memories. Even though it feels a lot like time travel, the characters are always alone when they have their experiences, so I don't think they actually physically travel anywhere. The ancestral memories allow the characters to feel as if they're actually their ancestors, but as visions they show the characters how to get out of the spots they are in.

[Buk Nerd]

I'm still a bit unsure what to make of the sequence, but I believe ancestral memories makes the most sense.

[Charlie Sheldon]

Different readers choose different explanations for these sequences, and that has been intentional on my part. There is a proportion of readers who simply can't go there, and when they get to the first sequence (there is Sarah's story in Strong Heart, there are no such sequences in Adrift except for some dreams and sweat lodge visions, and then there are several in Totem) they stop reading. To some degree this is an element of magic realism that some readers just cannot accept, they can't go there. However, many if not most readers seem to accept the tales, but some choose to think they are visions, some ancestral memories, and others real time and space travel into a parallel or alternative universe. I like to leave it up to the reader. I won't tell you what I think they are...

[britcott30]

I think "earlier time" is both an ancestral memories and time travel. Because from what she's going through, I think those two are fit for her. Dreams and visions are less fit to her.

[AvishaJain_13]

At this point, I am certain that Sarah's accounts of the ancient times is real in the form of memories and not anything else.

[STabassum]

There was indication of ancestral communication along with memory triggers. This leads me to conclude that they were actually ancestral memories and not time travel. Travelling across time-space barrier wouldn’t have been so realistic. However, the entire plot was a bit open ended leading to multiple provisions of several types of interpretations.

[Fola Moni]

I think the idea of the sequences is to leave them open to interpretation. Personally, I believe it's ancestral memories because that's the only logical explanation as the character was reliving a past life.

[Soraya Bayah]

They were really strange and odd to experience. I would go with ancestral memories, as it seems the most logical to me.