Family

Through Olga and Prieto Acevedo's complex family dynamics, the author explores the ways in which the individual's family might define her sense of self. Having experienced a difficult home life during their childhood, both Olga and Prieto have learned to rely upon one another for a sense of stability. Their mother's decision to leave the family when they were young and their father's struggle with addiction both contributed to the siblings' close relationship. Despite how formative this relationship, as well as her relationships with her extended family have been throughout her life, Olga has allowed her career to come first. Therefore, in "Open Your Eyes," during Olga and Matteo's date, the narrator says that Olga "felt relaxed and strangely eager to talk about an aspect of her life that rarely saw the light of day" (78). For the first time in the narrative, Olga is compelled to...