Family

The author uses the evolving dynamics of the Flores family's interpersonal relationships to explore the power and importance of familial connection. By writing the novel from the interwoven points of view of each the family members, Malia, Noa, Dean, Kaui, and, later, Augie, the author creates a perpetual overarching narrative communication between the five characters. The novel follows the family from the discovery of Noa's shocking and mysterious spiritual gift, through a series of individual challenges and changes, and on past Noa's disappearance and death.

Through this network of difficult life experiences, the Flores family must examine their roles one with another, gradually learning how to balance their insular familial realm with their lives beyond it. Even when the characters attempt to abandon these ties as a means of understanding themselves beyond, they find themselves constantly returning to one another.

Malia and Augie's response to Noa's...