Ability and disability
This novel features a family whose story changed with the diagnosis of their son's autism. Since that time, their lives have been a growing experience of ability versus disability. They don't want to embarrass Raj for anything he is unable to do, and they don't want him to slip into dread or disappointment. At the same time, they also want him to be safe, and therefore, they experience an abstract imagery of tension, because they are asked to make decisions with no similar experience to draw from.
The hero's journey
The novel introduces Raj through the lens of his parents' concern about him. Raj is a mystery to them, because he has grown and changed through his adolescence, but they know his severe autism makes his life different from theirs. Raj is the hero of the novel, because his story demonstrates the hero's journey, and through that depiction of his character, he reveals to his parents that he is competent and able in different ways. After this journey, they understand that their understanding of his limitations needs to grow.
The desert
The imagery of the Mojave desert fills this novel from top to bottom. The portraits of sand and the timeless quality of the desert are the perfect backdrop for this family drama. In the desert, they are all of them foreigners and visitors, and they understand the danger implicitly. For Raj to disappear into the desert is a clear signal that he has gone into chaos, out of the order of his parents' care. The desert risk raises this question: will Raj survive in life without his parents watching over him?
Mythological imagery
Overlaid on top of this story there is the suggestion from the local Native American community that perhaps what Raj has undergone is a kind of spiritual encounter with a trickster spirit. They say the spirit often appears as a coyote, and encounters with this desert deity often bring about changes in one's character. Raj does change, albeit subtly, and the parents certainly experienced a kind of spiritual experience by losing their only son.
