Isolation
Narratives describing the manifold forms of isolation and loneliness can be found all throughout the novel. The main characters of the novel, those who are flesh and blood at least, all live highly solitary, highly compartmentalized lives—despite their close living proximity to each other and the numerous social overlaps they have with one another. In addition to the literal and physical element of isolation there is also the dimension of isolation that results from their eccentricity, a factor that keeps them isolated as well simply because everyone else has difficulty interacting with them due to their social awkwardness or outright weirdness.
Eccentricity/Oddball Humor
The characters in the novel, both real and imagined, are, in a nutshell, complete weirdoes. Narratives describing the strange antics and quirky, off-beat humor of protagonist to cope with the loneliness she feels and the pain of her loss are central to the novel. Eccentricity is also a defining characteristic of the cast of characters and their interactions with one another. Despite the numerous instances of tongue-in-cheek humor in the novel however one thing is clear; their emotional struggles and challenges are all very real and when things are as tough as it is then perhaps the best means of coping in a bleak and often uncaring world is to chuck “normal” out the proverbial window.
Imagination
Perhaps the more powerful, more effective coping mechanism—better by far than eccentricity or weird, black humor even—is a rich imagination. Images of a rich and well-constructed thought life is a strong hallmark of the protagonist and one cannot help but marvel at the power of her imagination. Her imagination is so powerful that she manages to concoct an imaginary best friend; nothing new about creating an imaginary friend as kids do that all the time. The real kicker however is when she fabricates an imaginary pregnancy complete with an imaginary daughter to cope with the trauma of an abortion and a failed relationship.
Social Commentary
The novel is actually full of backhanded social commentaries. Many of these social commentaries come in the form of characters that the protagonist interacts with in the novel. Benna’s imaginary daughter is a commentary about the value of women in modern society vis-a-vis their capability to conceive a child. Darrel is the banner-bearer for the author’s commentary of race relations in America and Gerald is the representation of the state of dating and relationships in the post-modern era.