At the outset of the psychological thriller "No Way Out: Venice," we observe Mark, Lucinda's husband, lamenting that the Sexton household was once a happy place but is now an unhappy home as he awakens on an uncomfortable daybed curled into a fetal position. He has chosen to be alone for the night. He has provided no comfort to his grieving wife. It is the morning of the funeral for their 18-month-old daughter, Anya, who has died in a horrific accident. Details about the death of the child unfurl slowly in the story because Lucinda has blocked out the details of that day as she immediately experienced amnesia after the trauma. Mark is terrified to live out the day of sadness that both his, the Sexton family, and Lucinda Majewski Sexton's Polish family, will together experience in mourning the loss of their daughter.
Lucinda has been reared into a staunch Catholic family upbringing and is the mother of Anya. She bears extraordinary guilt as she had failed to have her young daughter baptized. The "Baptism" works in a myriad of ways throughout the book - to be Christian is to be born tainted by Adam and Eve's original sin. We, as humans, whether agnostic, atheist, or a faith believer - all share in the human condition of being born imperfect into this world. Baptism is a powerful symbol of transformation in the narrative. There are two scenes in the book, one is a shower scene of love and renewal by the couple; another is a shower scene where they are both dynamically cleansed while still fully clothed. The shower helps Lucinda to wash away the guilt of having been involved in the accident while the washing allows Mark to reveal an innermost secret he has hidden. This is also a climax in the book when John's direction will take a dynamic turn of fate.
The protagonist characters of Lucinda and Mark are both struggling in their lives with their chosen careers. Lucinda wants to be the perfect mother but also a notable jewelry designer. To Lucinda family is