How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Cole envied the dead sparrows. He had never really known any home. It sure wasn't the big brick building that his parents landscaped and fixed up to impress the neighbors. Nor was it the empty space he returned to most days after school. Even before his parents' divorce, Cole had always wanted to run away from that place. (10.10)
Thanks to his emotionally absent parents, Cole hasn't ever felt tethered to a place or to the people in his life. Instead, he feels like he's never had a real home—he's always been all on his own.
Quote #8
During Cole's hospital stay, many people from the Circle had visited him, including his mother. Her visits had been the hardest. She spoke little except to wring her hands and ask, "How are you doing?" Each visit, she repeated, "I love you. You know that, don't you?" (14.4)
It takes a near-death experience for Cole's mother to come around and realize that she's been a bad parent. She starts visiting all the time, and although Cole finds it strange, he's also willing to give her a chance.
Quote #9
"Don't drown in self-pity," Edwin said. "You have more than most people. There's a whole box of your mom's letters waiting for you back in Drake. She knows you can't have mail, but she still writes every couple of days anyway." (24.28)
Though Cole's relationship with his father hasn't changed by the end of the book, things have definitely gotten better with his mom. She tries to be more present in his life…even when he's away on the Alaskan island.