What do Reyna's tattoos represent in the novel, Improvement?

Reyna's tattoos are symbolic of who she is as a person. She has a dove for an old boyfriend, a sparrow for New York, a tiger lily for boldness, and an olive tree in honor of her four-year-old son, Oliver. She also gets one in honor of Boyd's release from Rikers: a line of tiny birds going up her wrist. Kiki is critical of the tattoo, but as Reyna explains, the tattoo is not for Boyd. It is for her. She calls her tattoos her "history" and explains to her aunt that her arm is an "album."