Lesbian Love
The key theme of the novel is lesbian love, and this novel is unusual within the genre in that is has a moderately happy ending. Everything that happens in the novel is a result of Carol's relationships with other women; before she even meets Therese there are problems in her marriage, and divorce is looming, because she has admitted to a sexual relationship with her best friend, Abby. Now that she has begun spending so much time with Therese, her estranged husband is both suspicious, and rubbing his hands in glee, because he know that lesbian relationships are frowned upon enough by the establishment that evidence of her relationship with Therese will guarantee him custody of their daughter.
The novel shows the ups and downs of lesbian love and also shows how difficult it was at the time to have a same-sex relationship and still be viewed as a responsible, upstanding person. Her relationship with Therese is seen to make Carol an unfit parent and the fact that she is only allowed supervised visitation shows that she is considered to be a threat to her daughter's moral safety just because of her sexual orientation.
Nasty Divorce
The Airds are going through a very nasty divorce, although the nastiness appears to come all from one side. Harge is vicious in his assault on Carol's character, and is determined to get his own way in the settlement. He is also blinded by his need to win; it has not occurred to him that his daughter would actually like to see her mother more regularly, and if it has occurred to him, he does not care. His objective throughout the proceedings is both to hurt Carol and to win at all costs. The divorce takes a huge toll on Carol, leaving her lonely and isolated.
Loneliness
Both of the main characters are lonely people, which is probably why there is an immediate emotional attachment between them even when they are strangers. Therese is lonely because she has spent her life feeling abandoned by her father, who died, and her mother, who sent her away to a boarding school in Europe. This abandonment has carried through into all her relationships and consequently she feels overwhelmed by her loneliness.
Carol is also feeling very lonely and vulnerable when Therese meets her; she is emotionally lonely because her husband is vindictive and emotionally remote, which is why she is so receptive to the Christmas card that Therese sends her. Both women are aching for contact and love.
