The tragic history of Jamaica
When the novel starts and ends, we are in Jamaica. The opening shows a criminal organization establishing its dominion in the jungle, and the ending shows that organization winning against the protagonist, Clare, who is literally killed in the battle. The tragedy of Jamaica's decline is well-explored, and from different points of view, because Clare and her siblings each have unique points of view on the state of affairs in the island nation.
Death and trauma
What is it that Bobby is hiding from Clare in their romp through Europe is that because of PTSD, the threat of violent death looms in his emotions. His trauma awakened his awareness of mortal fear, and the fear plagues him still. He is constantly paranoid to the ultimate degree, and the paranoia is unmanageable, so eventually, he departs, leaving Claire to go search out trauma and death alone, in Jamaica, as a martyr.
Intersectionality
What do the people in Miami know about unfolding collaboration and conflict between warlords and the government in Jamaica? They know nothing. In their world, Clare is just a freak, half-black, and half-white. People don't know how to deal with her because her existence is a literal example of what makes racism stupid. Obviously race is no indicator of a person's value. She is set in the intersections of her community's rejection of her, the racism of the American south, the poverty of her migrant life, and the abandonment of her own mother.
