Perseverance
Perseverance is one of the novel's key themes, as Cara is faced with impossible obstacles but tries to endure. In one instance, she describes how she felt extremely ill after a recent doctor's appointment, but still made certain to be present for one of her employment office sessions. In another more extreme example, she immigrates to America with her son to escape her cruel and violent husband. She is able to secure employment and a place to live right away. In these examples, and others, Cara shows her ability to manage adversity and still keep a bright outlook. At the novel's conclusion, she says that she wants Lissette to write down that she is still here and whole. What she means by this is that despite everything that she has suffered, she has endured and still managed to be kind and generous with others.
Cultural Divide
Cultural divide is another major theme in the novel. Cara is continually forced to contend with the gap between herself and others throughout the novel. She critiques the parenting styles of both Lulu and Ángela, believing that they are overly lenient with their children, making them weak and helpless. Similarly, despite the fact that Lissette is also Dominican, Cara sometimes feels that she has said the wrong thing during the interview or that Lissette is lacking some important context for a word that she has said or an event that she has referenced. Cruz is able to subtly show how, despite sharing a cultural background with others, Cara's experience is unique.
Motherhood
Motherhood is another key theme in the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Cara is very set in her ways about how to be a good mother. She reveals that she tried to be firm and strict with Fernando to better prepare him for the world. She adds that she didn't want to be cruel like her own mother, as she loves her son dearly. At the same time, she says that she also didn't want to indulge all of his wishes, in the way that Lulu did for Adonis. What is eventually revealed is that Fernando left because Cara, in a fit of rage, threw an iron at his face, an action that she deeply regrets and is ashamed of. In this way, Cruz reveals the complexity of Cara's relationship to motherhood, as she defines herself in opposition to different models but still struggles to feel that she truly gave Fernando what he needed.
Violence
Violence is also a major theme in the book. Cara leaves the Dominican Republic to escape her husband. She has an affair and, after he finds out, he travels to the house of the man she slept with and cuts off his leg. She flees their home and spends the night at her mother's. Her mother doesn't let her in initially, so Ángela has to sneak her inside. This results in Ángela being viciously beaten by their mother. Later, the reader learns that Ángela chooses to be a gentle and lenient mother because she is determined to not repeat the trauma of their past. Violence in the novel is portrayed as cyclical. Domestic abuse continues throughout the generations, between husbands and wives and between parents and children. Characters like Cara struggle to leave this behind while others, like Ángela, disavow it entirely.
Money
Money is a major theme in the book and its central source of tension. Cara is at the employment office because she has lost her job at a lamp factory in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. She is faced with money problems throughout the book as she falls behind on rent payments and faces eviction. Despite being an incredibly hard worker, and doing a great deal of unpaid labor for her neighbors, she is immediately put in crisis when the lamp factory moves to Costa Rica in pursuit of cheap labor. Money is treated as a kind of unavoidable problem in the book, as Cara cannot seem to get ahead despite ostensibly doing everything right.
Sexuality
Sexuality is another important theme in the book. Cara struggles to accept the fact that her son is gay. She is critical of the ways in which she thinks he is not conforming to the social expectations of a man. This culminates in an upsetting confrontation in which Cara tells Fernando not to go out wearing tight pants and he yells at her. She responds to his harsh words by hurling an iron at him. She justifies her behavior in the moment, but later comes to admit that she was wrong and that she loves and misses Fernando. Slowly she comes to accept Fernando, and by the end of the novel, it is suggested that they are beginning to reconcile. This change in Cara indicates that she is capable of loving Fernando for who he is and letting go of outdated notions.
Generosity
Generosity is another significant theme in the book. Cara continually displays generosity to the people around her, even in the face of terrible adversity. She takes care of La Vieja Caridad and lets Lulu stay with her when Adonis's family moves into her apartment. Likewise, she assists the women she works with in unionizing and watches Ángela's children for her when she needs help. While this generosity takes a considerable toll on her time and energy, she never fails to take the time to help the people around her. The novel shows the way in which this generosity does not necessarily translate into money or immediate happiness, but does allow Cara to keep persevering. As long as she feels she is helping people, things never feel insurmountable.
