The novel explores the heavy burden of carrying a shared secret for two decades. Naomi, Cassidy, and Olivia each cope with the guilt and fear in different ways, highlighting how unspoken truths can fester and poison relationships over time.

The story examines how childhood friendships evolve or disintegrate in adulthood, particularly when tested by shared trauma. The intense bond formed by the girls both holds them together and threatens to tear them apart as their perceptions of the past diverge.

The girls' creation of the 'Goddess Game' demonstrates the power of imagination, while exploring how the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred through trauma. The novel questions the reliability of memory and how childhood fantasies can have lasting consequences in adulthood.