Understanding the Theme

To me this novel has more than one them or meaning of the story. Theme is to love yourself and that family is the most important thing you can have in life. Throughout the novel Annette the main character has low self-esteem. Annette is a large women and because of this she finds herself unattractive to men. But toward the end of the novel she realizes that men do find her beautiful. Also throughout the novel Annette feels this emptiness because she grew up without her real father because he left Annette and her mother when Annette was only just three years old. Annette wants to reconnect with her father but is afraid to because her mother is still angry with him because of what he did to them.
Although Annette's mother doesn't agree with her going to visit and reconnect with her father Annette goes anyways. Annette realizes that if she doesn't reconnect with her father she will forever feel empty and because her father is so old and sickly she only has a limited time. When Annette finally visits her father she learns that she is not the only child but she has two sisters and one brother. Her oldest sister has two sons and a husband witch she has been separated from and her other bother and sisters are int he Military. Annette finally feels complete