From the author's dedication to her letter at the end, this was a letter to women and the difficulties they face in terms of beauty, society, and the struggle to love yourself.

I really enjoyed the layered storytelling that spanned mostly the women in our main character's life (with a couple men involved with the family for additional details). You learn about each woman's life and struggles and it culminates in a really powerful interaction at the end of the novel. The story ends fairly open-ended but I don't mind.