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.
In April 2023, I had found the anagram in Kenric's name, and I was certain that Kenric is Forkle. I expected this information to be widely known when I went online to read discussions, and I was shocked to see no mention of the anagram and very little mention of the possibility of Kenric being Forkle. Naturally, I doubted myself, so I wanted to prove beyond any doubt that Kenric really is Forkle. I immediately began reading the books again to search for clues.
I was reading digital copies of the books, but I purchased a set of paperback books so that I could mark pages with sticky notes. I used four different colors, one for each of Forkle's identities.
Kenric = hot pink
Forkle = blue
Leto = orange
Astin = lime green
This photo shows #1-8, 8.5, and 9 arranged from left to right with the pages facing the front. Remember to click on images in order to see them better.
#1 is the first book on the left, and #9 is the last book on the right. The books are arranged this way so that all of the pages in the set are in order from left to right. That would not be the case if the spines were facing the front.
Kenric is present in the first three books and then only in the Forgotten Secrets in the last two books.
Forkle shows up minimally in the first three books, then he is the most prominent identity beginning after Kenric's death.
Leto appears quite often but less than Forkle.
Astin only appears in #1, 4, and 5.
Here's a closer look. This picture is of #1-3.
Here are #4-6.
Here are #7-9.
In Book 5, the older Forkle twin is killed by Gethen. The surviving younger Forkle tells Sophie that he will have to cut back on his identities.
Book 6, Page 181 "Mostly it involves me learning to do less, since I'll have to shoulder the burden alone now. I don't think either of us truly believed this would be our reality, but… here we are."
Book 6, Page 182 "And I'll probably need to pare down my total number of identities. I'm just struggling to decide the best way to do that without drawing too much attention."
This has always confused me a bit, because he doesn't seem to cut back at all. My assumption has always been that Forkle cuts back on his Astin identity. Astin certainly doesn't show up in the later books, but he is barely present in the early books. Cutting back on Astin doesn't make much of a difference.
Book 6, Page 184 "Everyone who heard about my death will have to know the truth about my brother, otherwise they'll wonder why Magnate Leto is still at Foxfire, and why Sir Astin will sometimes appear in the Lost Cities, and why this bloated body will still be an active part of the Collective."
What Forkle says seems to indicate that all of his known identities will remain active, although his comment about Astin makes it clear that Astin will continue to be elusive.
How does Forkle cut back on his identities? He doesn't cut back in any way that is appreciable. That's why I've wondered about it.
What I forgot is that Forkle is supposed to have five identities. What is the fifth identity?
As I've mentioned, I believe the fifth Forkle identity is Ethan Benedict Wright II. This character doesn't appear at all, so he's unknown.
Ethan is likely the identity that Forkle dropped when he pared down his total number of identities. Forkle must have spent a lot of time as Ethan.
My current theory is that the younger Forkle twin abandoned the Ethan identity after the older twin was killed. He wrote Ethan's obituary and got Eleanor set up with a guardian.
I have believed for some time that Kenric is Ethan, and I have struggled with the idea of Kenric hurting Eleanor. But now I understand. Being Ethan would have taken up a lot of time. With one Forkle twin dead, the remaining one had no choice but to reduce his identities. He did have a good reason, even though it hurt Eleanor.
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Note: It was pointed out to me that Eleanor and Ethan supposedly die before Sophie comes to the Lost Cities. The obituary found by Forkle and later by Keefe does state that Eleanor was 10, so this does appear to place their disappearance before Sophie's arrival. However...
Book 9.5, page 351 "Blond woman, about as tall as me, wearing a fancy cloak?" "Sounds like her," Keefe muttered, ..."I take it that means you've met Mommy Dearest." "No—but I saw her." "When?" "Doesn't matter." "See, but it really does... Where did you see my mom? And how long ago was it?"
There you go. Eleanor says that Lady Gisela is "about as tall as me." Eleanor would be taller now than she was back when she was 10. Since I doubt that Lady Gisela is as short as a 10 year old, this indicates that Eleanor has seen Lady Gisela relatively recently, like in the last year. Unless Eleanor is hiding some connection to Lady Gisela, then the deaths had to have been faked not long ago.
I still believe that Ethan is the pared-down identity. I do not believe that the obituary can be trusted. If I'm right about all of this, Mr. Forkle wrote the obituary. He would have obscured the truth.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
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