The power and importance of art
Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that art plays in Ina Aroita's character development. Growing up, she is often forced to be alone (or with very little company) on Naval bases with grown men in the Pacific Ocean. She is often lonely and frequently unable to express how she truly feels. Eventually, not satisfied with how her life was going and feeling depressed and anxious, she discovers art. She uses her art as a conduit through which she explores not only her own feelings, but her personality. Without art, she would have been adrift, lost in a world she neither liked nor understood. It is important for everyone in the world, but especially her.
AI
One of the novel's main characters, Todd Keane, is a leading scientist interested in the development of artificial intelligence, or AI. In the world of the novel, AI is a new technology and quite a lot of work is being done to help it become more advanced. AI is symbolic of not only human innovation, but the way that humanity models its inventions on itself (and as ways to help humans work better and smarter). AI is also the source of tremendous conflict in the novel, as other nefarious characters race to steal what Todd has discovered to help themselves.
