The central idea behind this novel, I feel, is the sense of identity and belonging. To Fit-In with people around of us and not be “the other”. This novel is interesting because it is based on people nearly of our own age and it is set in Toronto.

The setting opens with the narrator talking about three friends on the subway early in the morning, a time when everyone is going to work and these young adults have had a long night. This on its own is an image of how these friends are different. Having been born and raised in Canada they are the second generation of immigrants but they still feel it is not so easy to be a part of the rest and cannot seem to adopt to the “regular Canadian life”. The setting opening at the subway is also a symbol of movement and how they are constantly in the race to fit in. The subway image can be taken in several ways, its a place of chance and opportunity. Canada being a multi cultural society, has still not accepted the young group of friends as “regular canadians” and we wonder what the reason for this could be. The parents of all these kids however try to enforce it on them to fit in and the children do not really hold their parents in high esteem. They are infact ashamed of them and feel like there are two different worlds. The kids feel that they are not a part of the required race and Tuyen believes it is impossible for them to fit in.

The group of friends is very close and they seem to share everything amoungst themselves except family and they all feel that the reason for this is that the family might be uninteresting. Truth is they are alienated from their families themselves and they just cannot wait to grow up and get out of their homes, a phase that almost every person of this age goes through. The theme of this novel is of belonging, and we can relate to the “us and them concept. The characters struggle to save what they love, but some broken things may never be made whole. And what we long for then may be freedom from the pain of caring.