The novel features a number of different familial relationships including between Audrey and Gwendoline, Audrey and her children, Gwendoline and Sir Strickland, Nell and Mrs. Quince, and Zelda and her newborn child. Each of these relationships is approached in a different way and provides different insights on the nature of family. A central theme in these relationships is the extent to which traditional family relationships—sibling, parent, spouse, etc.—meet, exceed, or fall short of the love and support that people need to overcome difficult times. A related theme is how people bond in times of need to create friendships that fill the role of family when those connections are lacking.

Gwendoline learns the most about the meaning of family and the consequences when those relationships fail. Although Audrey and Gwendoline grew up in the same household, they had very different family experiences. Audrey had a close relationship with both her mother and sister while Gwendoline acted out and alienated them both. Feeling as though her blood family failed her, she sought family elsewhere on the basis of mutual benefit and ambition. Although Gwendoline and Sir Strickland are legally a family unit, they lack the love and understanding that would make them sources of emotional support for one another.