The power of music and stories in shaping reality is a significant theme throughout A River Enchanted. Music is integral to both the plot and the worldbuilding. For Jack, music is initially an academic pursuit, something that he can learn and teach, something that brings meaning to his life. After he plays for the spirits for the first time, however, he is awed by the power that music has over the world around him:

Jack remained silent as he picked threads of algae from his harp strings. But he was inwardly overcome, astounded at what he and Adaira had done. At the power of Lorna’s ballad to summon all the spirits of the sea—the folk he had once heard about in the legends of his childhood (141).

Music summons the spirits and changes Jack’s view of reality. He has always revered the spirits but has never had any interactions with them, save the glimpse of Lady Ream in the water. Music shows Jack that the spirits are real, tangible parts of the world he lives in and an important piece of the mystery he’s working to unravel.

Stories also have the power to shape the characters’ experience of reality.