What are the motifs in True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff?

Religion is one of the most pervasive and complicated ideas in the novel. Even the title "True Believer" calls religion into the reader's mind. Throughout the novel, LaVaughn struggles with her beliefs, whether God is real and what God's plan means in her life. Although the novel is not religious, it tackles the conflict of atheism and Christianity head-on. For many of the characters in the novel, religion and hope are inextricably intertwined: hope for a better life and hope for an eternal future, thanks to Christ's sacrifice.