Book Club: The Emperor's Children | Question 8

What role do the events of September 11, 2001, play in The Emperor’s Children? Are there other points when history–or, put another way, reality–impinges on the safe and mostly privileged world its characters inhabit? What is the significance of Annabel Thwaite’s client DeVaughn or results of Julius and David’s affair? Does the ending make sense when compared with the rest of the novel?