Family

The author uses the theme of family to demonstrate that when a person's blood-related relatives are unreliable or otherwise absent, friends and other close connections become like a surrogate family. Through most of the novel, Kiara only has her older brother Marcus in her life as a family member, because her mother is in a court-mandated halfway house, her father is dead, and her father's brother, Uncle Ty, is living in LA and not in contact with her. But her best friend (and later romantic interest) Alé and her young neighbor Trevor (whose own mother, Dee, is also absent) are like a surrogate family to her. Kiara is singularly focused on protecting these relationships, particularly her relationship with Trevor, who is only nine years old and dependent on Kiara's care. The knowledge that she must care for Trevor is a motivating factor in Kiara's decision to...