“I’ve been serving a life sentence ever since. Not metaphorically. Or should I say, not just metaphorically. This would be a life sentence no matter what, even if I hadn’t been arrested and tried and convicted.”

This quote speaks to The Significance of Family—specifically, David’s love for his son Matthew. The murder of his child has destroyed him, confirming that he did not harm Matthew and encouraging the reader to become invested in David’s welfare.

. “So stupid. We are all so luxuriously stupid when things are good in our life.”

David laments missed opportunities with his family, having divorced his wife Cheryl and lost his son Matthew. At the time of Matthew’s murder, he had been distracted by his own concerns and sent him to bed without a story—this being their last encounter.

“But even with him, even with the father I loved like no other man, I had sensed some hesitancy in the embrace. My father loved me. But—and perhaps this is me projecting—there had been some doubt, as though he wasn’t sure whether he was embracing his son or a monster.”

Fatherhood plays a significant role in I Will Find You. David’s commitment to his son is absolute, so much so that his life is a prison without him. To make matters worse, his own father, Lenny, doubts him—further breaking his spirit.