Welcome to my eight-part blog series about the main themes in An Undercover Dream. You may have read my previous blog series on the themes of Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, so now it’s the turn of book 3 in the series. You can find the link to the previous themes of An Undercover Dream at the bottom of the post. For the final blog in this series, I will be discussing how the themes from the previous two books, Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live manifest in An Undercover Dream.
Warning: This blog contains spoilers.
Atlantic Split Themes
Prejudice plays a big part in An Undercover Dream and is especially focused around a couple of characters. Surprisingly, Luke finds himself on a whole different side of the situation, but gets one step closer to eradicating prejudice at Riverdene, which is something he’s extremely proud of.
I’ve mentioned in previous blogs how important these theme is to An Undercover Dream. At Riverdene, Luke is surrounded by people who are younger than him, even by a year. However, that difference in age and his circumstances making him grow up before his time, mean he has a slight maturity over them. That gives him an advantage over his peers, and they really start to respect him, which is something he’s not used to.
Optimism may seem to contrast with the theme of mental health which runs through the end of An Undercover Dream, but at the end of the book, things start looking brighter. I won’t spoil what happens, but let’s just say, towards the end of the book, there’s a couple of massive reveals that encourage Luke to feel much more hopeful for the future.
Luke has always been brave, putting himself in difficult and life threatening situations, but it’s the challenge of battling his mental health that really shows how strong he is. It’s the toughest challenge he’s had to face, and if he can get through that, he’s truly courageous.
Luke makes three wonderful new friends almost instantly when he arrives at Riverdene, and these are friends he hopes to keep for life. He still doesn’t forget his friends in New York, and this book especially really highlights just how special the bond between Luke and Steve is.
Whilst family doesn’t play a big part in this book, Luke always wonders what happened to them. As the milestone of a year away comes up, it’s hard for him to distance himself from his feelings and how much he misses them. However, at least he has Larry who became a surrogate father to him at a time when he really needed parental guidance.
Sometimes, situations have a habit of repeating themselves, and this is true for this theme. There’s a couple of bullies in An Undercover Dream that Luke encounters, but this time, they’re not after him. However, he will go to great lengths to protect his friends from them, proving that he indeed has become strong enough to stand up to them.
Luke’s morals do change over the course of An Undercover Dream, as he settles into a new life where the person he wants to be surpasses who he really is. Sometimes, he forgets his true beliefs and mission in favour of a simpler, more normal life. However, so many people are counting on him, and won’t let him forget the job he came here to do, so shirking from his purpose is not an option.
At Liberty To Live Themes
At the start of An Undercover Dream, Luke does face a new beginning once again when he goes to Washington DC with Larry. Then he has a second when he goes to Riverdene – he’s almost like a cat with nine lives! But, it’s the beginning he experiences right at the end of the book that really matters. In book four, there’ll be another brand new one.
Luke’s strength is tested in An Undercover Dream, especially when it comes to fighting against his mental health problems. It weakens him, and he soon succumbs to addiction to cope. However, when his friends manage to pull him out, he knows he has to fight if he wants a hope at beating it. It takes a huge amount of strength, but luckily, Luke is an extremely strong young man, and he’s been through far too much to let himself crumble now.
If there was ever a previous theme that sums up the book more, it is this one. This is because Luke literally follows his passion and goes to acting school, at last. After being told he’d never make it by his dad, he’s finally had the chance to prove him wrong.
This is one of the themes that actually doesn’t strictly apply to An Undercover Dream, because this time, Luke decides to pull the brakes on his love life. He knows that rushing in was a mistake, and decides to hold himself back from a future with Vi. However, whilst his head tells him not to rush in, he can’t control his heart, and from the moment he meets her, he knows Vi is going to be very difficult to shift from his mind.
Feminism comes in the form of one particular character in An Undercover Dream – I probably don’t need to tell you who that is. But over the course of the book, she becomes a feisty, independent, strong woman who is the perfect match for Luke. Wait and see what happens in book four – let’s just say, that’s the book where this theme really comes to life.
Self discovery is almost the precursor to self acceptance. Luke knows how important he is in the grand scheme of the Atlantic Split, and though he knows he has to make a difference, he’s preoccupied with being at acting school. But, when he loses it all towards the end of the book, he realises who he’s really supposed to be. And that discovery rears its head in spectacular fashion in one of my favourite scenes of the whole series.
Luke did make a difference. He made a huge difference at Riverdene – to his friends, to his peers, to the school. Even though it didn’t end well for him there, the effect he had was extremely significant. Now, he knows that the real way to make a difference is to truly accept who he is and do the job he came to do. Find out in book four if he succeeds.
An Undercover Dream Theme Blog Series Links:
Thank you for reading this blog series! As I’m now busy for the rest of the month with Nanowrimo, expect a fair few blogs in the next couple of weeks about the challenge I’ve taken on. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to read my blog series, and it’s back to business again next Thursday with another brand new blog. See you then!
Atlantic Split, At Liberty To Live and An Undercover Dream, the first three books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! The final book of the series is to be revealed.
Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.
N.A.K.
Neil A. King 
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