Love and Intimacy

The novel explores the power of love and intimacy via Neon Benton’s developing relationship with Aria Wright. In the narrative present, Neon and Aria are on the verge of having sex for the first time on the night of their two-year anniversary. Although Neon knows that Aria “loves [him] enough to tell [him he] look[s] dazzling and mean it,” Neon is nervous about the encounter (9). For this reason, Neon reflects on his recent experiences and conversations in the minutes before joining Aria in her bedroom. The author uses these reflections to show that healthy intimate relationships stem from open, honest communication.

Neon learns how to care for Aria and himself both inside and outside the context of sex from his sister Nat, mother Brina, father Deon, grandmother Gammy, and grandfather Grandy. In Chapter 4, Nat teaches him to “get [his feelings] out in...