Fraught family dynamics are at the core of many of this novel’s relationships, and the author’s interest in exploring the impact of abuse, addiction, and mental illness is a key component of this novel’s broader thematic project. Both protagonist Willa and antagonist Travis emerge from similarly complex family dynamics in which a parent’s mental illness negatively impacts the children.

Willa is characterized in part through her familial relationships and the emotional toll they take on her. Willa’s mother Krystal Lynn has bipolar disorder and self-medicates with alcohol, resulting in an addiction. Because of Krystal Lynn’s volatility and neglect, Willa is forced into the role of caretaker for both her mother and her younger sister Mabry. Willa learns from an early age that her mother’s many mood swings will determine the course of her day, and she becomes hyper-vigilant in response to her mother’s ups and downs. She also protects and cares for her sister, even going so far as to develop a code word, “okra,” that Mabry can use when she feels particularly unsafe in her home. Although these experiences shape Willa as a psychologist and are arguably part of her effectiveness as a clinician, they adversely impact her, heightening her stress response and causing her emotional distress long into her adulthood.