Day delves into different nontraditional forms of love, each reflecting the intricacies and emotional challenges faced by its characters. There is one traditional family in the novel: Dan, Isabel, and their two children. However, Dan and Isabel’s marriage struggles from the opening of the novel, ultimately ending in divorce. Conversely, there are several relationships that utilize the term “love” but are not heteronormative, highlighting the complexities of love. Through these other relationships, Day explores the complicated idea of what love is, what role attraction—whether physical or not—plays in love, and the varying ways that love enriches life.

Dan and Robbie are repeatedly stated as being “in love” with each other. When Robbie describes their relationship, he notes how he and Dan are the “central couple” in their home, “the ones who minister to each other, who are raising children together, who juggle the tasks, who want to know, each to the other, if they’re all right, relatively speaking” (80). As Isabel increasingly distances herself from the family, Dan and Robbie form a de facto partnership, managing the household and children, deepening their emotional bond in a way that transcends typical heteronormative expectations. Additionally, as Isabel refuses to listen to Dan’s music and is adamant that he is wasting his time, Robbie sits and listens to each new song Dan writes, giving him feedback and encouraging him.