What is the theme in The Water Is Wide by Pat Conroy?

Racism is a central theme in the book. The book is written about the time period of the mid to late 1960s in America when the Civil Rights Movement is peaking, characterized by radical behaviors and shifts in perceptions in the whole country but especially in the South where racism is notoriously widespread. Pat Conroy is admittedly part of the Old South prejudices which perpetuate the practice of racism in all aspects of society.