How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Vanishing Half?

The author uses repeated images of darkness throughout the novel to symbolize hiding. As a young girl, Jude learns that only in the darkness is she free to be who she really is, to see who she wants. She learns this particularly through her secret relationship with Lonnie Goudeau. When she moves to California, she tries to seek the same safety in the cover of darkness in her relationship with Reese. However, she soon grows tired of hiding, wanting to own who she is, and the importance of her relationship with Reese.