Just Listen Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

At first Kristen was hurt, then angry, before finally retaliating with her own silence. The rest of us were stuck in the middle, filling the awkward pauses with chatter that always fell short. (3.145)

Kristen and Whitney may be super close in age, but that doesn't mean that they're two peas in a pod. In fact they have the most friction out of anyone in the family because they're so close and competitive.

Quote #2

But I had changed, too, even if only I could tell. I was different. As different as my family was that night it all began from what we appeared to be—the five of us, a happy family, sharing a meal in our glass house—to anyone in a car passing by on the road outside, looking in. (3.148)

The Greene family may look pretty flawless from the outside, but there's some trouble brewing from within those glass walls. People may think that they can see everything that's going on inside, but there are tensions that can't be seen just by peering in.

Quote #3

She didn't want to come, and we both knew it. Whitney might call, or show up. Or, even worse, not show up. Not for the first time, I wished both of us could just say what we meant. But that, like so much else, was impossible. (5.30)

Their family dynamics have been pretty screwed up since Whitney's eating disorder was discovered, but no one comes out and says that they're worried sick. Instead they all pretend that everything is going to be a-okay—a tactic that can't be good for anyone.