How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Surprisingly, Angel had agreed to move back in until after her mother and grandmother's visit. He might be hard to talk to and unreasonable in every other way but at least, Lou Ann realized, he knew the power of mothers and grandmothers. If Granny Logan had known there were getting a divorce she would have had an apoplectic. At the very least, she and Ivy would insist that Lou Ann come back home. (4.6)
To Granny Logan and Ivy Logan, Kentucky will always be "home." Even Lou Ann, who's been living in Tucson with Angel for years, can't help but think of her childhood home as her "real" home too. But she'll still go to extremes to play happy couple with her estranged husband to keep from going back.
Quote #2
Back at the house she laid down the baby for his nap, then carefully washed the produce and put it in the refrigerator, all the while feeling her mother's eyes on her hands. [...] She moved around the edges of the rooms as though her big mother and demanding grandmother were still there taking up most of the space; the house felt both empty and cramped at the same time, and Lou Ann felt a craving for something she couldn't put a finger on, maybe some kind of food she had eaten a long time ago. (4.81)
After her mother and grandmother head back to Kentucky, Lou Ann's house is haunted by their presence. They've reminded Lou Ann what a house full of women can feel like, and have inspired her with a powerful sense of connection to her own childhood home in Kentucky. We wonder if the food she's craving is fried chicken?
Quote #3
She heard Angel in the kitchen. He moved around in there for quite a while before he said anything to Lou Ann, and it struck her that his presence was different from the feeling of women filling up the house. He could be there, or not, and it hardly made any difference. Like a bug or a mouse scratching in the cupboard at night—you could get up and chase after it, or just go back to sleep and let it be. This was good, she decided. (4.86)
After five years of marriage, Lou Ann begins to feel that sharing a house with Angel is like sharing space with a stranger. For some reason, his presence doesn't make her feel that their little rented house is really a home. To Lou Ann, that's a sure sign that something crucial is missing between them. He's no angel, after all.