How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
But Mom wasn't listening. She seemed to still be hearing something in the air. Then her face became more alert, and she turned to the officer leading Dad out of the door. "Take him," she said, softly at first, then with decided anger. "Go ahead, take him!" (4.81)
It's a rollercoaster relationship between Mom and Dad. Here's the situation: We know Mom's majorly scared when Dad tries to shoot her, but then she goes and hides the rifle like she's trying to protect Dad. And then, to top it all off, she tells the officers to "take him" in an angry tone. All her twists and turns have us wondering how Mom really feels about Dad these days. Do you think she's angry at the cops for taking her hubby away? It she angry at Dad? Maybe she just wants to keep her family together…
Quote #5
Deep down I hoped Mom would wise up and leave Dad for good, or maybe go live with Grandma for a while, or run off on her own, if that's what she wanted. Either that, or that Dad would finally open his eyes to see how close it was to being his last chance. But none of what I wished was going to happen. (5.1)
Manny isn't feeling too optimistic about his family life. He knows that there are some solid paths forward that would make everyone happier and safer, but he figures these are all just pipe dreams. And that's a huge bummer. What do you think makes Manny such a cynic about his family life? And do you think he's proven right by the end of the book?
Quote #6
In my family, we're taught to touch the hand of the one who has died. So at the wake, when my mother called, I walked toward the casket, and in the full bloom of my family's eyes, I touched Grandma's hand. A lump of salt caught in my throat, closing like a fist, as I studied the bark skin of her face—each crack sealed with perfect makeup.
She will flake into dirt, I thought, just as the sun does the bottom of a pond during a drought. Her shadow will be erased, and her soul will drift to heaven like the fluff of a dandelion in the wind. And then it will blossom in another garden, so bright the colors will hurt your eyes. That's how I imagined it. For Grandma, that's how I wanted it to be. (5.67-68)
Finally we get a touching moment between Manny and a family member. Now we'll admit that this isn't an entirely awesome moment—after all, Grandma has died and the idea of Manny with a "lump of salt" in his throat tells us just how hard he's taking the news—but with all the rough times surrounding Manny's family these days, tender ones like this are seriously huge. Plus, there's also some major love going on here. Just take a look at the happy visions Manny has for his Grandma.