What is the theme in Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron?

Self-absorption is a major theme in this book. As this novel begins, James and his family appear to be a somewhat comical version of the normal American family. James' parents are divorced, his mother twice divorced, and his sister is having an affair with a college professor. While these things might have seemed somewhat outrageous years ago, it is common place in this modern world.