The Importance of Family

Many people are devoted to family, and those connections are often the most important in a person's life. Several of the characters in this novel exhibit similar devotion to their families, and others seek out family connections that changed because of adoption. How that importance manifests and what it means to each character depends on that character's situation. From the parents who are willing to do anything for their children to the young people who send in their DNA in the hope of finding biological family members, the characters prove the importance of being family.

Paige Greene was a college student, away from home for the first time and just finding her way in the world, when she was sexually assaulted at a party. Paige immediately began to struggle with the emotional fallout. She did not report the assault, but she apparently called...