This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
Most fans who don't think Kenric can be either Forkle or Sophie's father are likely taking everything at face value that is stated in the books.
Even so, the anagram in Kenric's name should hold weight. It is extremely improbable that a full name (first, middle, last) can be rearranged to form a perfect anagram—using each letter once and no letter more than once—that is relevant to the plot of the book. It is nearly impossible, unless the author designed the name to form that exact anagram.
Such is the case with Kenric Elgar Fathdon, whose name rearranges in a perfect anagram as "Forkle grin and teach." The anagram is exactly why theories about Kenric cannot be discarded as most fans have done.
In April 2023, I decoded the anagram from Kenric's name, and I felt certain that Kenric is Forkle. I also felt that Kenric is Sophie's father. I couldn't find anything about it online, so I posted about the anagram on Reddit. I very much doubt that I was the first fan to discover the anagram. After all, Book 3 was published eight years before I decoded the anagram. Surely, somebody had already discovered it. I appear to have been the first person to post about it online.
After seeing that most fans weren't interested, I've almost completely kept to myself this entire time, just writing in this blog.
In the two years since my post, I have found it strange that online discussion hasn't budged at all. It's as if I had never posted about the anagram.
My blog posts appear high in Google's results for searches for Kenric, Oralie, and Forkle. Despite that, the vast majority of fans think that Sophie's father is still a mystery. They favor Gethen or Elwin. Gethen makes no sense, and it would be sickening for a murderer to be Sophie's father. Elwin is logical only because Google gives him as the answer due to a false rumor.
A couple of us recently made a few comments in the main Keeper subreddit about Kenric and Forkle. One person became hostile and dismissed us as the same person.
Since then, two more threads about Sophie's father have been posted. When I read them, I felt like I was in a bizarre alternate reality. It's weird to have clues pointing to Kenric, yet fans are completely oblivious.
Most fans are in complete denial even when presented with evidence. Let's go through how they respond.
Forkle said that Kenric isn't Sophie's father, and Forkle doesn't lie.
I don't know where fans have gotten the idea that Forkle doesn't lie. The books make it clear that Forkle does lie.
Book 8, Page 232 Keefe tells Sophie that Forkle is "a way better liar."
Book 8.5, Page 375 In the section titled "Things I know about Mr. Forkle," Sophie notes, "He lies sometimes. Maybe all the time. Who knows?"
And there are other places where Sophie thinks that Mr. Forkle has lied.
How have fans acquired this unyielding belief that Forkle doesn't lie? I'm baffled, because he clearly does lie.
Since Forkle lies, we cannot rule out Kenric as Sophie's father. In fact, even Sophie doesn't rule him out.
Book 8, Page 261 Then again, she supposed all of that could be a reason for Mr. Forkle to lie to her about Kenric. Maybe she shouldn't rule him out as her biological father after all...
Mr. Forkle says that Sophie's parents don't know each other, so Sophie's parents cannot be Kenric and Oralie.
See above. If Forkle lies, then this doesn't hold any weight. I have already mentioned in past posts (see here and here) that Forkle uses tricky language when he tells Sophie that her parents had no connection.
Forkle has confirmed he (Forkle) isn't Sophie's father, so this also rules out his identities including Kenric.
But Forkle is a pair of twins. Both twins were still alive when one Forkle tells Sophie that he isn't her father. That statement does not rule out his twin brother.
Shannon has repeatedly told fans that Kenric isn't coming back.
No. She hasn't. I have found exactly one interview where she addresses the situation (see post). This is an exact transcription:
Not really the plan just because if they were still alive, they would basically be the worst person ever for letting everybody mourn for them. Because it's a world where death is very, very rare and very devastating so it's... Usually if I've said that someone we like dies, they're probably dead.
That's pretty vague. She appears to be saying that he won't return, but she is not stating it for sure. "Usually... they're probably dead." That's a bit indefinite. It's indefinite enough that fans shouldn't be shutting down posts about Kenric being alive.
The Wanderling trees for Kenric and the deceased Forkle don't look alike.
I recall that the ruckleberries are wearing off as Forkle dies.
Book 5, Page 659 It was hard to see past the blood, but his body seemed to be in a strange in-between state. Like the ruckleberries were wearing off, but hadn't completely.
We know from the Book 4 Forkle identity reveal that Forkle always turns into Leto when the ruckleberries wear off. For that reason, the natural assumption is that Leto is Forkle's true identity.
Book 6, Page 213 The seed had no real color—just a faint milky tone—and was shaped like dried-out, already-been-chewed gum. But coiled carefully across it was a strand of thick black hair..."
Perhaps the disguise caused the Wanderling for Forkle to be different from that of Kenric.
This is Kenric's tree:
Book 3, Page 340 The sniffles turned to quiet sobs as a tiny sapling sprang from the earth and sprouted vivid red leaves.
This is Forkle's tree:
Book 6, Page 213 The trunk was narrow, but the bark was thicker than other trees, and coarser too, with a swirled pattern of brown and gold and red and black and even a few threads of green. The leaves were equally varied—some wide and flat, some thin and curled, some shiny, and others covered in a cottony fuzz. Berries sprouted among them, the exact blue as Mr. Forkle's eyes... The rest was such a hodgepodge of colors and textures, it almost felt like the Wanderling was trying to reflect all of Mr. Forkle's identities at once."
This is ambiguous, enough that we can't be certain how different the two trees are. I thought that the different colors were the leaves, and that would make the trees completely different. Instead, sneaky Shannon is describing the specific colors of the bark of Forkle's tree. She then switches to the texture and shape of the leaves of Forkle's tree.
But then the final part says that the "rest was such a hodgepodge of colors and textures..." The rest of what? The leaves? Probably, but she doesn't say. We don't know for sure what the leaf color is on Forkle's tree. It sounds like the leaves are all different colors, but if they are, we don't know which colors or whether one color might be more dominant.
Kenric can't be Sophie's father because Kenric is dead. Forkle would know that he could reveal Kenric's identity since Kenric couldn't be punished.
Let's say that Forkle reveals that Kenric is Sophie's father. The Council would be shocked and would start wondering about it. They'd realize that Kenric was a Telepath, and they'd probably think about how Forkle is a Telepath. Hmm... They might also start thinking about Oralie and her blonde hair.
Also, Oralie would connect all the dots. She'd know that she was Sophie's mother, and then she'd know that Kenric is Sophie's father. Oralie would likely figure out who Forkle is. I believe that Kenric faked his death at least partly to protect Oralie. He can't reveal who Sophie's father is.
Even when fans allow that Forkle could be lying and are receptive to the clues, they refuse to believe that Kenric could be Forkle and/or Sophie's father due to having misgivings with the idea.
It's icky that Kenric could have had a child with Oralie without her knowledge.
We know very little about Kenric and Oralie and the full dynamics of their relationship. Once all is revealed, I am confident that Oralie will understand why certain decisions were made. However, I bet she'll yell at him first, and he will have to do some quick explaining and a good bit of groveling. Shannon had better write that scene for us. I need it.
Book 8.5, Page 528 "But Kenric would never do anything malicious—especially to me. He and I..."
Oralie is an Empath, and I trust that she understood Kenric and that she will understand his actions. Shannon's story is leading towards Kenric being Sophie's father. I also trust in Shannon that she will do it right.
It's too weird for Kenric to be a pair of twins both in love with Oralie.
I've been thinking about this since yesterday. Oralie said something about having trouble remembering what happened when Kenric was with her one time in her sitting room and that someone else was with him. She didn't know who. She thought that Kenric's smile was off.
I think one twin (if Kenric is Forkle) liked Oralie and the other not so much. That's why Kenric's smile was off. It was the other Kenric.
The question is... which twin is still alive? The one who liked Oralie or the one who didn't?
For quite awhile, I've believed that the surviving twin is Sophie's father. This is simply because I believe that Shannon is planning to wrap up the story with Sophie's biological father still alive.
I've gone back and forth on whether both twins loved Oralie. For a long time, I thought that the surviving twin was the only one who loved her and that his DNA was used for that reason. I still think that the surviving twin's DNA was used but for a different reason. I'll get to that later.
I have read the Forkle twin reveal scene from Book 6 many times. While I contend that Forkle lies to Sophie when she asks about her father's identity, I believe Forkle tells the complete truth in the twin reveal scene. That scene is key to understanding the twins and how they lived. It explains everything.
I believe both twins loved Oralie. It wasn't creepy or unnatural. It was pure and real, and it was true love. At the same time, it was devastatingly sad for them.
Book 6, Page 176 "There was never any division between us. I was him and he was me. We only ever had one life, that we shared equally."
Book 6, Page 176 "In a way it was always me. We shared every thought. Every feeling. Every memory. Nothing was ever separate—except for our bodies."
Book 6, Page 177 "Anything we ever said or did came from both of us, even though only one of us was present in that moment."
Book 6, Page 177 "We always considered each other before we made decisions—and we updated each other on everything. Before we manifested as Telepaths, we made it a habit of staying up late, rehashing every detail of our days. And once we could connect our minds, we started swapping memories fully—holding nothing back. So, when you were with him, it was no different than if you were with me."
Book 6, Page 177 "Because it was either share a life, or face the scorn of identical twins. And back when we were born, our world was even more restrictive than what you see now. We never would've been allowed to attend Foxfire, or been invited to join the nobility—"
Book 6, Page 179 "He gave us one name. One inception date. One registered strand of DNA. And from that moment on, we were raised to see ourselves as two halves of a single whole."
Book 6, Page 182 "And then, of course, there's simply the challenge of being me. My brother was my balance—and I was his. I'm not sure how I'll get anything done without having him question everything I'm thinking. It feels like I've been left with a hollow body and only half a brain, and…"
Book 6, Page 183 "What am I supposed to call you?" she asked. "The same things you always have, Miss Foster. I'm still him. I always have been. And I will be, until it's my turn to draw my last breath, should that day happen."
Book 6, Page 184 "We wanted to commemorate our shared life the same way we lived it—together, and just outside the bounds of our world."
The twins regarded themselves collectively as one person. They shared every single thought and feeling. It would have been impossible for one twin to love Oralie and the other not to love her. Since the twins shared every thought and feeling, they would have both felt the same feelings. There's no way one twin could have avoided experiencing the other's love for Oralie.
This feels right.
Think of how horribly difficult it would be to fall in love with someone, knowing that it could never be. Even if both Kenric and Oralie were to resign as Councillors, they could never be together.
Book 3, Page 133 [Leto] "I don't have a wife." His voice had turned thick, his face twisted with emotion—though Sophie doubted even an Empath could translate it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's not… And I still… Not that it matters…" She wasn't sure if he was talking to her anymore. His gaze had turned distant, like he'd fallen deep into a memory... And when she glanced down a few floors later he was still standing there, staring into space, looking even more confused than she felt.
There was nothing creepy about both twins loving Oralie, since they lived as one person and since they never acted on their feelings. If their shared identity had acted on their feelings, then that would have been wrong.
This explains why Kenric voted against Oralie becoming a Councillor. He/they fell in love with her at first sight, and they didn't know what to do. They tried to keep her off the Council.
After that didn't work, they then took the approach of being hostile to her, like what we saw in the Forgotten Secret from Kenric's readying room. Honestly, that's one of my favorite scenes in the series. It crackles with electricity.
I think it also possible that in spite of their strong attraction to Oralie that the twins might have found her to be annoying at first, so the hostility might not have been completely faked.
I believe that the surviving twin will be revealed as Sophie's father.
Book 6, Page 178 "When I made my surprise appearance—two minutes and twelve seconds after my brother made his—my parents had to make a choice. And they chose this."
Book 6, Page 178 He lifted the swollen folds around his neck, revealing a registry pendant set onto a strained silver chain. "Technically, the feed this crystal generates isn't mine, and never has been. But it's the only life I've ever known."
My theory is that the second twin, the younger one, would have been used as the donor. Since the Lost Cities have a belief that twins are defective, then why not use the one that they might consider more defective as the donor? My thinking is that the younger twin would be considered the extra, and thus weaker. By doing this, the bias could be disproved by having a child who has strong abilities.
Kenric would never hurt Oralie by faking his death.
The last sticking point is that Kenric apparently faked his death. It's unthinkable that he would do that to Oralie. Astin says exactly that.
Book 4, Page 539 "No." He cut her off before she could fully form the question. "Kenric is gone." "So was Fintan!" "Yes. But do you think Kenric would let us mourn his loss?"
Book 4, Page 540 But Sir Astin was right. Kenric would never let Oralie suffer. Just watching her thrash and flail and sob broke Sophie's heart.
Since a Forkle identity is telling Sophie this, we can't be sure. In fact, Astin is determined to shut down Sophie's line of thought. That tells me that he is protecting his secret.
But still, how could he do that to Oralie?
Book 3, Page 455 "I've done far worse," Mr. Forkle whispered. "The right road is rarely the easy road. And no war was ever fought without casualties."
The above quote is in response to Keefe asking Forkle if he could betray his own father. Forkle says that he's done worse, and he must be referring to Oralie.
Kenric had to hurt Oralie in order to protect her. Also, since the twins knew that they never could be with her, they might have done it to set her free.
I also want to mention something else. Some fans have complained that there aren't enough significant deaths in this series. They are annoyed about the Forkle death and twin twist, saying that Shannon came up with a twin to undo the death. No, not at all.
The Forkle death is the most significant death in the series, and it has far-reaching consequences. The death of one Forkle—that is, one Kenric—means that the remaining one could be with his love, Oralie, someday. This is huge.
The Forkle death was utterly devastating for the surviving Forkle. They shared their life as one. How awful for the surviving one to lose his other half! Forkle has said as much. There are plenty of instances of him having a catch in his voice when speaking of his twin. He's in deep grief.
Kenric is a complex and fascinating character, and this is why Kenric is interesting. Layered characters who behave ambiguously add a depth to the story. The Keeper of the Lost Cities series was in part modeled after Harry Potter. Kenric's counterpart in the Harry Potter series is Dumbledore. Dumbledore does plenty of things that are problematic and that could even be considered mean to Harry, like making him live with the Dursleys or not sharing information with him during the 5th book. Dumbledore has reasons for his actions, and he's not an evil character.
Kenric and Dumbledore are exactly alike. Each will do anything to further their cause.
Book 5, Page 36 [Leto] "Questionable actions can be forgiven when they're done with good intentions."
This is both Kenric and Dumbledore in a nutshell.
My next post will contain all of the evidence about Kenric.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
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