How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
What did I say? Apa asks Uhmma. Uhmma looks straight at the house, her hand covering her lip. She does not answer. Apa leans close to Uhmma. Face to face. His eyes squint thin as paper. He takes the used-up cigarette from his lips and holds it between his thumb and finger. Please, Uhmma, I say in my head. Please say it. Please. Please. Please. Uhmma takes away her hand. Blood drips down her chin. Her lips are broken grapes. She says with eyes closed, It is not forever. (9.26-29)
Ever wonder how a victim of domestic violence can lose her will? Here's a classic example. Apa abuses Uhmma in at least three different ways: verbally, physically, and psychologically. And now there's this scene, where all he has to do is get really close to Uhmma to get her to parrot his words.
Quote #5
The crashing is loud and strong. I plug my ears but can still hear Apa's loud yelling. Who do you think you are? Questioning me. Slap. Stop it, I say to myself. Go out there and stop it. But I do nothing. Say nothing. Only listen to the walls like a shameful mouse. (21.9-10)
If you're feeling bad for Young Ju, you're not alone. Poor Young Ju feels all this responsibility to stop her dad from beating her mom even though she's a small child. Here's a question though: what should a small child do when she witnesses her father beating her mother? Is there a right way to react?
Quote #6
The coffee table is overturned, Korean newspaper strewn all over the carpet. The smell of Apa's alcohol breath soaks the air. I pick up a broken picture frame, the photo of our family at the airport in Korea slightly skewed, and set it on the couch. (21.14)
Sometimes this book gets to be a bit much. A "broken picture frame, the photo of our family […] slightly skewed"? Sounds like the author reached into a big grab bag of domestic violence clichés for this metaphor of a broken family...