Crank Abandonment

Kristina may live in the same house as her mom and stepfather, but she nonetheless feels abandoned and alone. Her mom is in the midst of a pretty severe midlife crisis, while Scott seems more interested in whom Kristina should be than who she actually is.

Being abandoned by her dad as a child is obviously a major factor in Kristina's unresolved issues—not only does she blame her mom for breaking up their marriage, she seems unable to see her dad's faults. Instead she idealizes him as the person she saw him as when she was a child, no matter how unrealistic this image of him is.

Let's try to translate this poetic language. Apparently, Kristina's mom fell pretty hard for Scott and neglected her own kids in favor of emotional involvement with him. As a result, it makes sense that these feelings of abandonment would cause Kristina to resent Scott. Dude took her love away, as far as she's concerned.

Kristina's dad's absence from her life has caused both of them to see each other through unrealistic lenses. When she arrives at the airport, Kristina is looking for the much younger man she idolized as a child, while her father is still largely looking for a little girl. This should be evidence enough that this visit is doomed to be a failure.

Okay, let's get this straight. Kristina's dad takes her mom to court for the right to see her, then can't even take time off from work to be with her. Weird. Or not. Maybe his desire to see his daughter is less about connecting with her and more about ticking off her mom.

Being with her dad causes Kristina to reevaluate the way she's pictured him for the last several years of her life. He's not "Daddy" anymore—he's a pathetic drug addict living in a broken down apartment who works(-ish) at a bowling alley. She may have gone on the trip to reconnect with him, but seems to walk away from their visit more alone than ever.

A major theme in this book is how neglect from parents causes children to make bad decisions. Adam turns to drugs because it is both a behavior he observed in his dad and to fill the void his father left in his life. Similarly, Kristina's broken family situation has created a storm of suppressed emotions that have to explode at some point.

Adam's letter to Kristina is proof that her dad's interest in her life was a temporary thing. He doesn't keep in contact with her, doesn't mention her to Adam, and seems more interested in promoting his image with his new girlfriend. It's a huge bummer that her dad's fleeting desire to see her results in permanent damage to Kristina's life. Thanks for nothing, Pops…

At the air show, Kristina's mom hits on a guy sitting near them while Scott is obviously checking out his boss's sexy wife. Not exactly one of the greatest parenting moments in history. Maybe they haven't physically abandoned their kids, but they don't seem concerned with what kind of example they're setting.

Marie may have a seriously shallow side, but her reaction to Kristina's problems obviously shows that she recognizes her responsibility for her daughter drifting away from her. On some level, she sees that her distance from Kristina has caused her to become distant as well.