"Just out of jail and feeling free only when she's high, Beth wants only one thing: to see Tammy, the beautiful Black artist who was her lover in college. But will she be able to open up and share her feelings after spending a lifetime hiding them to stay alive? Though Tammy longs to see Beth, she too has learned the danger of revealing her emotions."--BOOK JACKET.
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.