How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
As I picked up my pack where I'd dropped it in the den doorway, I heard ABBA belting out some song about how you couldn't escape even if you wanted to. Hah! That's what they think. (7.64)
John thinks he's outsmarted everyone by figuring out how to manipulate his parents enough to get them off his back about his life. The only problem? He doesn't gain anything from doing so. Sure, he's testing his limits, but most of the time, he really just pushes his parents away.
Quote #8
"Why is it that people don't know what to say when something bad has happened to someone they know? Maybe because they think there are some magic words that will make everything all right again, only they don't know what the words are. They ought to understand that there isn't anything right to say. Mostly they need to just sit there and listen." (7.71)
This sage advice comes in the form of John's letter to Diana. He wants to discover the right words and reactions to stuff, but he knows that mostly, it's about being a good listener. After all, sometimes people are too quick to answer when he's still working things out for himself.
Quote #9
She grabbed the jar by the top so she could place it in my hand and escape unscathed. But I was ready. My large hand, as large as my father's probably, sprang to life and seized the honey and her long fingers all together, one handful, skin to skin. (13.77)
Here John explores his mom's reaction to him with the honey jar. She's constantly trying to escape from him—or touching him more specifically. What she doesn't realize is, though, is that she's actually running away from her feelings toward his dad and not allowing John to explore his own feelings. Ugh.