Counting by 7s

“Mai does the lion’s share of the speaking and eating (I give her my cone once I’ve had enough), and all I know for certain, with the sun on our faces and the sweet ice cream holding our attention, is that this is a day that I will never forget.” 

Willow's description of this ideal, unforgettable day with her new friend within the opening pages of the book provides foreshadowing of her parents' accident. Roberta and Jimmy die that day, and this, of course, changes Willow’s life forever.

“If you are picturing this trio and considering us together, I want you to know that while I don't in any way resemble my parents, somehow we just naturally look like a family. At least I think so. And that's all that really matters.” 

Describing herself with her adoptive parents, Willow asserts that family members do not have to look similar in order to feel like a family. After Willow loses her parents, the novel's main characters all reconsider their definitions of family and just how far they are willing to go to help a family member. This quote develops the theme of redefining family.

“When Fallen was finally strong enough to fly, I reintroduced him back to his flock. It was incredibly rewarding. But it was also heartbreaking. It has been my experience that rewarding and heartbreaking often go hand in hand.” 

Willow remembers saving and parenting the baby parrot in her garden, which serves as a symbol of her future situation: the Nguyens take her in and eventually she joins their “flock.” The entire process, for everyone involved, is both rewarding and heartbreaking at times.