Manipulation

One of the reoccurring themes revolves around manipulation. This theme is clearly demonstrated near the start of the book, when Katherine is first explaining everything to Kate. She talks about how in the future everyone is given one special trait at birth, with hers being the CHRONOS gene. This decision ultimately shapes the rest of their future, and it’s a choice that they have no say in. Katherine tries to argue that they’re allowed to have hobbies and interests outside of their chosen specialty, but as Kate points out their lives are still being decided for them. Katherine was destined to become a historian because they would never let the rarely given CHRONOS gene go to waste.

The theme is clearly shown a little later when Kate goes to meet her father in the new timeline. She tells him everything about the CHRONOS program...