What is the theme in Gold Boy, Emerald Girl: Stories by Yiyun Li?

Many of the stories in this collection share the theme of love. Love first makes an appearance in Kindness as Moyan struggles to find love from her parents, her friends, and a lover. However, Moyan often finds herself lacking in whatever it takes to make people love her. In the end, Moyan rejects love and decides she is better off without it, only to look back on her life and all the people who touched it with sadness.