The book’s central theme that underlies every chapter is about the elusive and yet all-encompassing nature of power in an unjust society. After he and Shehan face weeks of abuse at the hands of the Academy’s principal, Arjie realizes a fundamental truth about power that changes his worldview and transforms him from a powerless boy to a powerful young adult: “How was it that some people got to decide what was correct or not, just or unjust? It had to do with who was in charge; everything had to do with who held power and who didn’t” (267).

For his entire life, Arjie has been subjected to the whims and harmful beliefs of those held more power than him. Ammachi believes he is a bad boy and beats him. Diggy and Appa mock—and fear– Arjie’s interest in traditionally feminine activities and so mold him into their image of what they thought a proper man ought to be like. Black Tie beats him merely for reciting a poem incorrectly. And, of course, the Sinhalese state and his fellow Sinhalese Sri Lankans routinely discriminate against him and burn his house down, ultimately forcing his family to flee the country.