Savage nicely blends a young woman's rebellion against traditional female roles with her growing respect for those roles. She also sympathetically critiques masculine roles. Thus, by the end of the novel, Alexa can respect Clive and accept his invitation for a date, even though she has no interest in marrying him and becoming a farm wife. Less obvious but equally important to New Zealanders, or Aotearoans (as they are called in the Maori language) is Savage's sensitive treatment of Billy, a Maori musterer whose story of having seen otters decades earlier fascinates Alexa. Billy is also shown to be insightful in his dealings with Tod.

Some of the characters do use mild profanity in their speech, and the "survival of the fittest" attitude that Jim, Alexa, and Tod have toward livestock may shock some squeamish readers.