What are the motifs in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King?

Broken families is a recurring idea in the book. The tragedy of divorce has become a very popular subject for modern novelists, particularly as the divorce rate has risen dramatically in the United States over the past three decades. We are only now beginning to cope with the long term effects which divorce has on the children caught between warring parents - children like young Trisha McFarland and her brother Pete. Trisha and Pete are both deeply affected by their parents' divorce, but each child reacts in a very different manner. Trisha internalizes her pain, acting as the family peacemaker.