You Don't Need Talents to be Special

This theme is prominently shown through the Asher family. At the very start of the book, Marigold is stressed because she doesn’t have a Talent. She’s afraid that she isn’t special because she wasn’t born with a natural gift, while both of her brothers displayed their Talent at a young age. Marigold spends most of the book trying to learn what her Talent is, each day trying dozens of different activities. She practices on her oboe not because she likes it, but because she hopes it might end up leading to her Talent.

Marigold’s mother assures Marigold that she doesn’t need a Talent to be appreciated. Marigold’s mother didn’t get her Talent until she was almost 30. She looks back on those times fondly, because she enjoyed the freedom that came with not...