What are the motifs in Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong?

One recurring idea dominating the relationships in Paradise of the Blind is the respect paid to bloodline relatives. After years of living in a volatile country where many people have lost loved ones and been displaced from their families, people more than ever treasure ties to their heritage and bloodlines. At one point in the story, in response to taking in and caring for a distant relative and employing her, Aunt Tam says, “After all, a single drop of our own blood, even a hundred times diluted, is worth more than swamp water.”