Every book here, in a sense, is about rebellion, whether it be a rebellion against oneself, parents, or a system. Yeong-hye rebels against the world and discrimination by going vegan and doing whatever her heart tells her to do. Kafka rebelled against his father by running away and refusing to go on the path his father set for him. Saaed and Nadia rebel against violence by fleeing from Pakistan. Richard rebels against the German government by allowing the refugees to stay with him and finding homes for them. Janina rebelled against the unfair world by killing the people who hunted her dogs. Swing Time is about a woman who rebelled against herself by not using her talents and walking the path she wanted to. Tambu rebelled against her past by distancing herself from her family and relying on her white education to move up in the world. However, she fails this rebellion and realizes she should never forget her roots.

The books connected to this all have some possible magical element. The vegetarian has a dream that seems that it won't go away, as if some entity is forcing it upon yeong-hye. Exit west has black doors that connect the entire world. The entire plot of Kafka on the shore is magical and mystic.

All of these books could be non-fiction and it would make sense, even if they are a little wacky.

Both Go, Went, Gone and Exit West had a focus on refugees. in GWG the refugees are impoverished and not even allowed to get a job. In Exit West we see the the mc's flee and fall into poverty having to rely on charity to survive.

Family is prevalent in these stories. Kafka is trying to reconnect with his mother while fleeing from his father. Tambu rejects her family and her past because she thinks herself above them. All the refugees of Go, Went, Gone seem to become one big family. Nadia and Saaed become like brothers and sisters after their experiences.

Janina is literally murdering people. Death is an everyday thing where Saaed lives. Yeong-hye is beat and scorned by her family