What is the importance of the carnival in the novel, Ghost Gifts?

The carnival was Aubrey's home as a child, living the carnie life from the time she was only about five years old. Charley owned the carnival, and Aubrey worked and lived within the dictates of that lifestyle. They traveled along the east coast most of the season and spent the winter months in Arizona. Aubrey was schooled on the road, and she considered the various members of the traveling troupe to be her family. The life, while unconventional but acceptable to young Aubrey, seems to have prompted her strong desire for a stable, normal life as an adult.