Abuse and family dysfunction.
This story is an unfortunate account of something terrible that really happened to a child. The author was an infant when her mother released her to be adopted by a couple, and the agency picked a hyper-religious Christian family where Winterson's adoptive parents were secretly unimaginably cruel and violent toward her, often verbally abusing her, disowning her, rejecting her personally, being disgusted by her—especially when they learn that, Winterson is gay. Because the parents are judgmental and hostile, Winterson is left as an orphan in her own home.
Fundamentalism and hypocrisy.
The parents felt they had license to abuse Winterson because they coated their hatred in religious language. But the problem with their religion is clearly fundamentalism; because their motives are not in Winterson's best interests, they promptly ignore the parts of their religion that would compel them to be good, loving parents. They don't hold themselves according to their hyper-religious standard; they only hold their daughter accountable to that standard.
The value of truth and acceptance.
Ultimately, the end of Winterson's horrible saga of abuse and suffering came with a confusing twist; without the abusive voices of her adoptive parents, she has to decide for herself what she wants from life. She decides to contact her birthmother so she can have closure about the situation. That means that she has come to peace with the truth of her situation; that her adoptive parents had an opportunity to give her what she needed, but instead they were hateful toward her. Knowing that, she can sort through her shame and accept herself.
