Stories

Much of the underlying meaning in this novel focuses on a teenager's need for connection. For Jamie, the original Sherlock Holmes stories, written by his "great-great-grandfather," are a way for him to feel connected to a family, to a legacy, and to a talent.

Drugs

Drugs are Charlotte Holmes's means of escape. The conventional theory on why the various Holmes characters engage in drug use is that they need constant mental stimulation in order to feed their voracious intelligence. However, Charlotte is a sixteen-year-old girl, not the full adult male of the classic stories. Charlotte's character actually inhabits a world of loneliness and stifling family expectations. Drugs are a symbol of her need to escape.

Poker

The students at Sherringford have a standing Friday night poker game, hosted in the basement of Charlotte Holmes's dorm. Poker is a game of lies and bluffing. It symbolizes "the...