Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes emphasizes the theme of family and home on a macro and micro scale. Planets, stations, and spaceships are all important as places characters call home. And all the major characters have strong emotional ties to family, or the idea of family, whether those bonds are bound by blood or by choice.

Miller’s family isn’t mentioned, beyond references to his ex-wife and his regret over not having had any children of his own. On Ceres, he lives in a tiny apartment that he calls his “hole,” not his “home,” which reflects his general sense of isolation and disconnection. Miller’s lack of close connections exacerbates those feelings. His infatuation with Julie Mao and clear envy of the camaraderie between the Roci crew illustrate his intense longing for family connections. When Holden says, “I want the whole crew together” (386), Miller weeps upon realizing he’s included in that number. When that relationship sours, Miller takes solace in his imaginary Julie, who says, “You knew it couldn’t last. […] You knew you didn’t really belong there. You belong with me” (443). As a figment of Miller’s imagination, this “Julie” is really Miller speaking to himself, consoling himself over the loss of something he desperately wants but can’t have.