The Importance of Family

The novel explores through the lives of Patina and her sister Maddy that extended family such as their Uncle Tony and his wife, Emily, are important when circumstances change within the primary family unit. Family is typically defined as the people who are related to someone, either by blood or by legal means. The family unit is often the most important in a person's life. Patina Jones is a preteen who has learned the importance of family and whose immediate family has been extended by the death of her father and health issues of her mother. Aspects of family that remain important in Patina's life include who is fulfilling specific roles and the continuation of family rituals.

Patina and her younger sister Maddy are no stranger to loss. Their father Ronnie died when Patina was six, shortly before Maddy was born. Their mother...