A major theme in Falling Leaves is the strength gained—and passed down—through storytelling. Adeline first discovers the power of storytelling as a child, inventing fairy tales in her head to comfort herself on her long walks to school. In these fairy tales, she is able to situate herself as the heroine, thus constructing an imagined world—quite unlike her day-to-day life—wherein she controls her own destiny. These fairy tales as so effective that Adeline actually looks forward to her long walks and perceives them as enjoyable escapes.

This strength is further affirmed when Adeline wins a playwriting contest at a critical time in her life, just as Joseph and Niang begin to plan her future career. Proud of her accomplishment, Joseph agrees to send Adeline to England for her studies. Thus, her talent as a storyteller rescues her from an arranged marriage or the career as a typist her parents were planning for her, helping her take her first steps toward individual agency.

The book closes with an encounter between Adeline and her aunt Baba, just before Aunt Baba dies. Herein, Aunt Baba tells a fairy tale much like those Adeline used to tell herself on her long walks. In this fairy tale, Adeline takes the role of Ling-ling, a mythical girl with a gift for painting.