What is the theme in Storming Heaven: A Novel by Denise Giardina?

Carrie says that she first became aware that outside, unfamiliar, and sometimes unseen forces exert great control over our lives the day that Albion's father returned and took him away. In many ways this is a coming-of-age moment for Carrie. However, awareness of the often harmful control that outside forces exert over the lives of the people in the rural lands of West Virginia and Kentucky had little to do with age. All of the characters are surprised at some point to discover how fragile or weak they are in the presence of outside forces.