Content Warning: The source text includes references to physical assault, psychological manipulation, child abuse, and animal abuse. Additionally, the source material uses offensive terms for mental health conditions throughout, which are replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.

Erika, one of the novel’s two protagonists, is a stay-at-home mom and embodies the theme of The Safety and Expectations of Families. At the beginning of the novel, Erika seems to miss her pre-motherhood job as a full-time journalist, reflecting that “there was a lot of upward mobility at the paper, and if [she] had stayed on, [she]’d probably have a pretty good job there by now” (36). This suggests that motherhood does not completely fulfill Erika, despite her devotion to that role. To maintain her identity outside of motherhood, Erika works part-time at the Nassau Nutshell, writing domestic pieces about local events in town. As her family life becomes more chaotic, Erika is unable to keep up with the demands of her newspaper job, ultimately losing the job. This suggests that Erika sacrifices herself and her own desires for her family.

Motherhood is extremely important to Erika, and she spends the novel going to great lengths to protect her son, though she is conflicted over the extent to which she should.