In Full Circle, the protagonist Lila, haunted by a rape from when she was thirteen, forges forward to define her life beyond being a victim of her traumatizing assault. The novella challenges the traditional societal norms of religion and gender roles as Lila ventures into marriage and motherhood. Literary allusions and symbolism bolster the theme of this fast-paced Bildungsroman written mostly in contemporary dialogue. Through the cycles of birth and death, Lila learns how to thrive in the now.