Escapism

The escapism demonstrated by the characters within the novel shows the boundaries of what the human spirit and an individual family may withstand. Although Corina must principally contend with the heartbreak of losing her cousin Sabrina to the consequences of her risky behavior, she must also contend with the void Corina opens in her life, and the internal questioning she will experience for the rest of her life as to whether she could have done more to save her. The characters must maintain some façade of family life and sanity, contributing all the more to individual delusions of escape and return to an easier way of life or dependence on another person to save them.

Initially, Corina is unable to think about any examples of her cousin putting her life back together, giving herself to somebody to lean on in tough times. She understands that...