Theo is a culturally well-researched novel, and this fits very well into Harrison's corpus of interest as the previous books that she has written all belong to the non-fiction genre. Her research into the Kennedy brothers' lives has prepared her considerably for the task that she has undertaken with Theo.

From what one reads in her acknowledgments at the beginning of the novel, Harrison has relied strongly on memories of real people who lived during the occupation, authentic accounts and facts found in Greek archives as well as factual books related to themes that have interested her, all for use in the fictional context of Theo, Many similarities can also be found between this novel and Alki Zei's Petros' War.

Both young boys are innocent at the start of the novels, and both have matured at the end. Both boys have painted slogans on walls as...