"About to start college and trying his best to make his sister proud, Owen Maguire is stunned when his mother waltzes back into their lives four years after having abandoned them, as if shes never left. Owen doesn't want to deal with the situation, but finds his mother a burden he can't shake. Hes afraid all those old bad habits of his will come back tenfold...until he meets a girl who's ready to show him how to love. "--
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.