Violence

Given the setting of the novel and the situation on which it focuses, it is not surprising to find that violence is a predominating theme in “Thirty Girls.” The novel begins with a display of violence as the Lord’s Resistance Army invades St. Mary’s and abducts all of the girls, and when Sister Giulia tracks the rebels with the intent of retrieving her students, she wonders if the rebels will kill her; both she and Bosco are prepared to die if necessary in order to achieve their goals. While the nun is negotiating, helicopters from the Uganda army patrol spray bullets, wounding some of the girls who are confused when the rebels tend their wounds.

After her escape, Esther is haunted by the horrors she has seen and in which she was forced to participate while with the rebels. She feels guilty for the...