Character Analysis
Violet's parents are textbook models of good parenting, maybe to a fault:
They are strong and brave and caring, and even though I know they must cry and get angry and maybe even throw things when they're alone, they rarely show it to me. (5.57)
We don't see a lot of their personalities; we just know they like to cook and that Mr. Markey's a history buff.
Though Violet's frustrated by her parents' refusal to talk about Eleanor (their oldest daughter, who died the year before), she's close with her mom and dad. She lies to them sometimes, but she feels really guily about it. By the end of the book, the Markeys start to open up to Violet about their loss:
My dad is crying one stoic tear at a time, and then his head is in his hands and my mom and I move like one person to him, and the three of us huddle together, rocking a little back and forth… (56.38)
You know who else could use a group hug after reading this book? Us.