What is an example of motif in the novel, The Night She Disappeared?

Certain foods and drinks appear recurrently, providing a network of motifs through which the novel develops its characters. What people consume, or how they consume it, signals social background but also mood or personality. An array of food and drink comes into play at the pub, illustrating the different mindsets of Zach, Tallulah and Scarlett as the drama between them escalates. Zach – who is generally hostile to the idea of self-indulgence and lavish spending – tries hard on his date with Tallulah to impress her with fancy, romantic dishes. Tallulah, however, is “the sort of girl” who likes “routine and normality and simple food,” not caviar and exotic-sounding delicacies (402). Zach was more successful on New Year’s Eve, presenting her with crisps (chips) and chocolate “’cos I know they’re your favourites” (95). As the date goes wrong, Zach becomes less chivalrous and more didactic. When he tells her to eat, it is “not a suggestion, but a demand” (360). He further expresses his displeasure in his aggression towards a prawn. While Tallulah’s lack of appetite reflects her lack of enthusiasm for the confrontation ahead (she “takes an inordinate amount of time to unpeel a prawn”), Zach responds to the buzzing of her phone by impatiently “wrenching the head off the prawn” (360, 361). This abrupt decapitation undermines the gentlemanly façade, and Scarlett further mocks his aspirational efforts. Whereas Zach gloats over the expense of their feast, and Tallulah “has no idea what a truffle chip is” (357), Scarlett casually identifies the chips (fries) as “truffled” with the same ease and familiarity she shows in helping herself to them (366). With the arrival of Scarlett’s friends, Zach’s carefully-planned night turns into farce: the civilized seafood platter disappears in an alcohol-induced frenzy, and Zach ends up using the dregs of his “warm champagne” to swallow pills (367).