What is the main theme in the novel, Once Upon a Dark November?

The novel's primary theme, child abuse, is juxtaposed against a background of ordinary activities and normalcy. An incident of a "naughty" child locked in a stifling hot attic closet is described only as "muffled sounds of screaming and kicking in the attic closet finally stopped." The reader is left to wonder how frequently the child is locked up, but can be sure that this act plays a key role in the book. The child's pain is not described other than "a face, pale and stunned, hovering there in the gloom of the closet" when released by "Auntie." York tells enough with a few words to make the abuse of the child clear, while avoiding the need to be graphic about the abuse. There is suspense, but no violent acts are described. The book could be used as a springboard for discussion of the effects of child abuse, although the book does not address the issue directly.