Anna, the lead character of the novel, finds herself in a situation where she is made to ponder on the differences between her native Caribbean, where her parents live, and her adopted lifestyle in Manhattan, and how race affects it.

Nunez, who grew up in Trinidad and later moved to the United States notes on how she relates with the story of Vikram Lall of being straddled in the two different worlds.

[4][5] The novel received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and appreciated it for "[the] expressive prose and convincing characters that immediately hook the reader" and for handling family conflicts and immigration identity vividly.

[7] The World Affairs Journal's editor, Amy Finnerty, reviews the novel as "a psychologically and emotionally astute family portrait, with dark themes like racism, cancer and the bittersweet longing of the immigrant".

[8] Arlene M. Roberts of The Huffington Post notes that the novel "is a woman's journey through the maze of the publishing industry which can often be unwelcoming to different perspectives, an establishment where decision makers 'refuse to find themselves in black characters'.