Smith masterfully explores how we construct our sense of self through relationships, and how we must carefully reconstruct that identity when foundational relationships crumble. She demonstrates that personal reinvention isn't just possible but can be transformative.

Throughout the upheaval of divorce, Smith's relationship with her children serves as both compass and anchor. The memoir illuminates how motherhood can both ground us and propel us forward during life's most challenging transitions.

The author examines how taking ownership of one's story - deciding how to tell it, what to include, what to leave out - becomes an act of empowerment. Smith shows that the way we frame our experiences shapes not only our understanding of them but our path forward.