If You Come Softly is a coming-of-age story about a Black teenage boy named Miah and a white teenage girl named Ellie. Miah and Ellie fall in love despite their familial, ethnic, and economic differences. Throughout the novel, the teenagers' deep affection for one another works to overcome both the failed patterns of their parents' relationships, as well as harmful societal expectations. The novel explores themes of love, loneliness, and social divisions.
