Utang Na Loob
The author describes Filipino term as "that impossible to quantify sense of indebtedness and gratitude, to the people who’d raised." Other sources define the term as a deeply ingrained characteristic in Filipino culture that roughly translates to English as a debt one feels right through to the innermost part of their soul. The mystery of who is responsible for the murder at the heart of this story gradually intensifies into a way for Lila, the story's Filipino protagonist, to pay off that heavy debt to her family which has been placed upon her not out of a sense of duty demand so much as a sense of love for the care provided in raising her.
Starting Over
Lila is starting over after a breakup with her boyfriend. The circumstances of her life from the point the narrative begins all trace back to this traumatic event. She is trying to help save her family's restaurant from going under when a food critic who also happens to be an ex-boyfriend shows up, takes a few bites, convulses, and ends up "face planting right into the dish." A dead ex-boyfriend-cum-food critic instantly fingers her as the number one suspect. This turn of events becomes a metaphor for the much lesser difficulties that typically come with trying to jumpstart one's life following a broken relationship. The very opening paragraphs of the book foreshadow how this mystery will also be the story of starting over as Lila somewhat ironically creates a checklist for her situation. The girl who moves from small to big city discovers her boyfriend in the act with another and returns home in disgrace reduced to working at her aunt's failing business. Being marked as the suspect in the unexplained death of a high school boyfriend is merely the cherry on top of this literary theme.
Racism
It may be entirely possible for some people to read this book and not pick up on racial tension. The theme of racism within the law enforcement system is not placed front and center and certainly is not made explicit in a way that it could have been presented. Those familiar with systemic racism in American law enforcement—especially those readers of minority cultures who face it as a part of their everyday lives—will immediately pick up on the subtleties. This aspect of racism is also integral to the plot as its manifestation is part of the reason that Lila feels the necessity to privately investigate the murder in the first place.
