Trauma

The trauma the various character’s face is visceral and sometimes overwhelming, showing how difficult it can be to overcome it. However, just because it is something that they continue to deal with even past the end of the novel, the author does not want the reader to think they can never heal. Instead, it is shown that they can live with their trauma, and it does get easier over time.

While most of the Dregs have some traumatic memories that affect them, Kaz’s are particularly crippling. Whenever he touches anyone without gloves on- regardless of how he feels about them- he is immediately sent back to the terror he faced in the harbor. One example is when he helps Inej with her wounds. While Kaz deeply cares for her, he cannot escape the memories. He describes the moment as “Everything in him recoiled. The...