Synecdoche

"I hadn't mentioned to a soul anything about the Sales Register business, but I suppose Ruth wasn't to know that." page 63

It can be implied from this example of synecdoche that Kathy did not tell anyone about the sales register stuff. She would not have been able, even if she wanted, to tell a literal soul anything. The use of synecdoche emphasizes that Kathy did not tell anyone. It is more effective than just saying she did not tell anyone because not telling a soul is more dramatic. When someone says they did not tell a soul, there is an insinuated promise that they are telling the truth involved. If they just said they didn't tell anyone, they might just be saying that to appease someone. Without the synecdoche, the reader would not know the seriousness that Kathy wanted to demonstrate that she was being honest and kind to Ruth. Kathy portrays herself as a good person, so there is a sense of pathos when the reader finds out she can't have children after knowing how she reacted to the song, "Never Let Me Go."