The Fine Print

The Fine Print, like each of the novels in the Dreamland Billionaires series, illustrates the individual and relational consequences of trauma; alongside the effects of trauma, the novel illustrates the ups and downs of recovery for those deeply affected by abuse and mistreatment. After his mother’s death, Rowan, like his brothers, was emotionally abused by his father, Seth, who gave in to his despair and became a different man, using alcohol and hurting his sons. As is revealed in the second book of the series, Terms and Conditions, Declan received the brunt of Seth’s physical abuse and protected his brothers as best he could. He could not, however, protect Rowan and Cal from their father’s emotional manipulation and verbal abuse.

Rowan is the first of the brothers, both chronologically and in series order, to face the effects of that trauma. Because Seth always considered him to be the weakest of his sons, Rowan has spent his adult life trying to prove his father wrong through his business decisions and accomplishments. As a result, Rowan has become ruthless in business, putting aside the empathy and care that his mother taught him and his brothers. He is also self-critical and is haunted by an inner voice that tells him things like, “Get over it, you worthless piece of shit. Focus on what matters” (26). His father’s abusive behavior has also robbed Rowan of one of his primary joys: expressing his creativity through drawing. As a result, when Rowan returns to drawing to help Zahra with her projects, he immediately has a panic attack:

It doesn’t take long for my palms to become clammy. My emotions are turbulent and bordering on volatile. I remove my jacket and roll up the sleeves of my button-down shirt, desperate for some reprieve from the rising temperature of my body. It’s as if I’m sweating out my demons, one stroke of the pencil at a time (89).

Through the Dreamland project and Rowan’s relationship with Zahra, he begins the process of recovery by facing the triggers that cause such reactions. He explores his creative capabilities for the first time in years, and he starts to learn about others’ troubles rather than closing himself off and making cold, calculating business decisions. Rowan must face the effects of his childhood trauma and the consequences of letting those emotional effects dictate his actions as an adult.

Zahra also faces her trauma head-on, but her journey is quite different from Rowan’s. Her trauma includes being emotionally abused and then betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, Lance. She has doubted herself for years, limiting her work to the Dreamland salon rather than pursuing her dreams, but she always retains her ability to love and care for others. Zahra’s recovery centers around rebuilding herself and her self-confidence, and her journey illustrates how powerful such reclaiming can be. She realizes, “If this is what believing in myself feels like, I wish I had done it a bit sooner. Before my ideas were stolen and my spirit was crushed” (109). She runs full steam ahead, focusing on rebuilding her confidence and learning to value herself rather than lingering in the emotional effects of her own trauma.

As the story unfolds, Zahra and Rowan grow individually and together; Zahra and her joyful personality acts as the impetus for Rowan to face his demons and work on his reactions to those demons, but in the end, he expands his recovery beyond their relationship through his friendship with Ani and his proposal to improve employee conditions in Dreamland. The two protagonists support one another in seeking recovery, although Zahra is, at first, the only one aware of the recovery that is necessary for them both.