SuitabookJoyride
Anna Banks
- Reading
- Consider checking in as the story develops, particularly around Arden’s family history. You could discuss which parts feel harsh and whether the characters’ decisions seem to belong to them.
- Themes
- Family expectations and independence: Carly wants to meet her family’s expectations, while Arden resists what his father expects of him; both begin to question how they have been living. The outline foregrounds tension between family expectations and individual choice, but does not establish whether either character’s position is endorsed or criticised.
- Separation from parents: Carly’s parents have been deported to Mexico, and she works to contribute towards getting them back. This situation is central to Carly’s circumstances, but the outline does not establish how deportation or its effects are treated beyond her efforts.
- Grief and mental illness: Arden’s sister Amber has died. The outline says Arden blames his father for not acknowledging Amber’s mental illness. The outline connects Arden’s grief with his view of his father’s response, but does not establish the story’s broader treatment of mental illness or responsibility.
- Worth knowing
- Bereavement and mental illness are part of Arden’s family history; Carly’s parents have been deported. The story is also described as sometimes harsh, but the nature of that harshness is unclear.