Pro-Immigrant Rhetoric
Kaaberbol and Friis really push their political agendas throughout the novel. Not only does Nina work for the Red Cross, but she's stationed there to help undocumented immigrants stay and find work in Denmark. She's a humanitarian through and through, but her passion to aid people sometimes causes her to be blind to some obvious solutions to her problems. She would rather focus on the person than compromise their anonymity in order to protect their safety. Continuing the theme, Sagita herself is an illegal emigrant from Lithuania. Unable to speak the language or legally permitted to work, she struggles to adapt to her new community. As a single mother, Sagita has limited options because she can't leave her child alone and unsupervised. Her plight is a tragic one. She really tries her best to do right by her son, but she can't protect him from the truly evil human traffickers who set their sights on him. Overall, the inclusion of Sagita's character is an overt indication of the authors' focus in writing it.
Violence and Crime
The plot of the book allows for a lot of dramatic action, but there's a blatant choice being made to include violence with that. The authors don't shy away from graphic description nor dark content. In fact the plot depends upon this violence for its advancement. Sagita's son is kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to a rich, corrupt businessman. Not only is he stuffed in a suitcase, but he's stripped naked and drugged so he stays quiet. Karin is murdered for refusing to pick up the suitcase from the train station, although she doesn't understand the significance of her decision when she makes it. She's beat to death by Jucas in her own home. She's not his only victim either; Jucas murders a few people in his pursuit of the boy for Jan. Speaking of Jan, he witnesses the disturbing and humiliating death of his own son to an unexplained illness. In his line of business, he's used to backroom deals and not asking questions, but none of it prepared him for the brutal effects of terminal illness over a brief period of time. These incidents and more demonstrate the harsher side of reality which doesn't often find vent in fictional literature.
Motherhood
The mothers of the story are the only real players. They hold the power, even though it doesn't always appear that way. Consider Nina for a moment. She's the Christ-figure who takes it upon herself to single-handedly save the boy from whatever persecutors are after him. As a mother of two, she's no stranger to the unique hurt which parenthood can bring. She takes one look at the boy and knows there's a mom out there missing him and falling apart. On her quest to reunite said mother and son, Nina goes full momma-bear. She engages in physical altercations and some masterful escapism to protect the boy. That's her superpower. Sagita on the other hand doesn't have the luxury of being in the loop. She's done her best to protect her son, but he was taken from her against her consent. Her story is one of hopefulness. Convinced that her son is alive and that she will find him, she never gives up hope. Her tenacity pays off when she finds her way to Jan's mansion and finally does reunite with her long-lost son.
The final key player of the book is Jan's wife. She isn't described in great detail nor given much depth, but she is described as a mentally unstable person. She's on the edge already when her son gets sick and dies. Completely lost, she descends into an increasingly dangerous state of mind which persuades her husband that she will die if she can't process the emotional trauma of losing her son. This is why he purchases Sagita's son, as a replacement to trick his wife into coming back to her senses. These women are motivated by devotion to their kids and move mountains to do right by them.
