51 pages • 1-hour read
And Then, Boom!
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of child abuse and extreme poverty.
The Impact of Food Insecurity
Food insecurity shapes nearly every aspect of Joey’s life throughout the novel, functioning as both a literal struggle and a symbolic representation of his instability. From the earliest chapters, Joey and his grandmother live with a constant awareness of scarcity, as demonstrated when they refer to “the outtas” (77), the various items that they have run out of. The humorous term reflects Grandmum’s attempt to provide a little levity and shield Joey from the ever-present challenges of poverty. Despite her efforts, Joey develops a keen sense of how to ration food, budget his government benefit card, and plan meals based on available resources. These are adult responsibilities, but Joey assumes them out of necessity, and his efforts show that poverty prematurely accelerates children’s entrance into adulthood and denies them a chance to enjoy a more conventional childhood.
Joey’s home situation intensifies after Grandmum dies and his mother abandons him. With no money or adult support, Joey’s food insecurity deepens into outright starvation, and his daily routines become entirely focused on survival. He begins dumpster-diving, eating dog food, and desperately stretching minimal supplies to feed himself and his dogs. In this state, Joey can no longer think ahead, set goals, or ask for help. His hunger has narrowed his world to the next meal, and he is forced to make decisions that are physically and emotionally degrading. When Joey tries to trick himself into eating dog food by recontextualizing it as “beef stew” (214), he uses language as a way to distance himself from a degrading situation. The shame and misery of his need isolates him from his peers and further entrenches his reluctance to seek support.
Even after Joey enters foster care with the Davisons, the trauma of food insecurity lingers. Although food is now abundant and freely available, Joey still approaches meals with caution, uncertain whether this new sense of safety can be trusted. His foster brother, Phoenix, notices this behavior and validates it as a common experience among children who have faced long-term deprivation. Joey’s body and mind remain conditioned by the instability of the past, and this response illustrates that the effects of food insecurity extend to emotional and psychological issues that take time to unlearn. The novel uses Joey’s evolving relationship with food to show how poverty leaves lasting imprints on a person’s psyche.
Addressing the Social Stigma of Poverty
Because mainstream society often proceeds from the false assumption that most children have stable homes and plentiful supplies, the plight of children like Joey often goes unnoticed. As Joey struggles to blend into the conventions of the world around him, his living situation fluctuates dramatically, and his own internalized shame becomes a recurring barrier that prevents him from accessing support. Throughout the novel, he actively hides his living situation, even from his close friends. When he and Grandmum are living in a car, he arranges to be dropped off at school early so that no one will see. He is aware of the irony of his feelings and acknowledges the contradiction between his desire not to be noticed and his surprise and resentment at how “invisible” unhoused people are in society. He doesn’t tell his friends about living in his car, but he considers it “amazing” that he can live this way without anyone knowing. This secrecy, which is rooted in shame, contributes to the family’s prolonged housing insecurity. Only when Nick accidentally discovers the truth do they receive help in finding a more stable place to live. Joey’s need to hide his reality keeps him from making potential allies and reflects on the idea that shame can delay intervention or relief.
Joey’s shame also centers around his mother, whose unpredictable behavior and eventual disappearance leave him with deep wells of suppressed anger over being abandoned. Even though her absence is not his fault, Joey internalizes this instability and hesitates to tell adults about his vulnerable situation for fear of getting his mother in trouble and losing access to the possibility of receiving any love from her in the future. When he texts her and begs her to return, he promises to keep her secret and to “be better” (154). He continues to seek her approval and worries about how others will perceive her actions, and these concerns make it even harder for him to be honest about his situation. In this way, his shame becomes a form of silence that hides his own vulnerabilities and protects those who have hurt him the most.
Ms. Swan, Joey’s math teacher, provides an institutional contrast to this experience. She clearly recognizes the role that shame plays in keeping students from seeking help, so she sets up her classroom to quietly meet students’ needs. By providing snacks and supplies that are freely available and tactfully refraining from acknowledging students’ poverty, she demonstrates her awareness of the social dynamics at play and creates safe spaces to help ease the hidden burdens that her students carry.
While Ms. Swan’s efforts provide a temporary solution, the most significant counter to Joey’s shame comes through his relationships with Nick and Hakeem. Both boys repeatedly offer help without judgment, finding subtle and respectful ways to assist him. Hakeem’s offer to wash his mom’s car gives Joey a discreet way to take a much-needed shower, and this gesture is a prime example of how Joey’s friends provide support without demanding disclosure or confession. By quietly filling his fridge and checking in from a distance, they show that care doesn’t have to come with scrutiny. Over time, these friendships help Joey to push through his shame and begin to open up to trusted adults. The novel suggests that shame is not just a private emotion but a structural barrier; in Joey’s life, his nonjudgmental relationships are key to overcoming his compulsion to remain silent.
Children’s Resilience amid Hardship
Joey’s story is shaped by the consistent need to navigate difficult circumstances, from poverty and food insecurity to neglect and emotional trauma. His challenges are ongoing and multifaceted, and throughout the novel, he exhibits resilience in his small daily choices and his larger acts of survival. He describes poverty as a “reticulated python,” and this metaphor conveys the constant pressure and constriction that he feels. In contrast, he characterizes his mother’s behavior as a storm to emphasize her unpredictability and penchant for wanton destruction. Joey has to build his resilience on two fronts, facing the consistent pressure of poverty and the sudden surges of turmoil that arise when his mother appears.
Joey’s resilience is supported by several strategies and sources of strength. One of the most important is his connection to the family that he has, namely Grandmum. His grandmother’s “Captain America” (62) hugs are a physical and emotional anchor that provide him with a sense of security and comfort. Even after her death, her influence remains part of how Joey copes. His friendships with Nick and Hakeem also serve as a foundation for his resilience. These friends never shame him or force him to disclose his struggles. They are always there for him and continue to love and support him, no matter what his situation happens to be. Their consistent care allows him to begin trusting others again and to eventually admit that his mother has abandoned him.
Another source of resilience can be seen in Joey’s ability to care for others. He often takes on responsibilities well beyond his years and means, first by trying to look after Grandmum, and later by helping Nick’s mom, and taking in the abandoned dogs. This pattern of caring for others helps Joey to build meaning and agency in the middle of chaos. When he cannot control his own circumstances, he finds that helping someone else gives him a reason to persevere.
Joey also relies on creative tools to process his trauma. He uses drawing as a form of emotional expression, translating painful experiences into illustrations that give him some distance and control. His sketch of his mother leaving is one example in which his art allows him to engage with grief in a way that feels manageable. Similarly, Joey uses language as a coping strategy. He creates shorthand terms like “the mess with Mom” (30) to reduce overwhelming experiences to an emotionless tagline that he can talk about more easily. Similarly, his use of onomatopoeia and invented words like “sitgen” function as emotional outlets that allow him to express his anger and frustration without escalating his distress.
While some of these tools offer only temporary relief, they are necessary steps in Joey’s longer journey toward healing. By the end of the novel, his resilience also includes a willingness to open up to adults, such as his therapist and social worker. This shift marks an important change, as Joey begins to actively seek support. His resilience evolves from survival to recovery, and his growth shows that strength can take many forms—from silence and self-reliance to vulnerability and trust.
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