How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Around 5:00 a.m. on a warm Sunday morning in October 1953, my Aunt Belle left her bed and vanished from the face of the earth. (1.1)
Aunt Belle abandons her family in the most dramatic and mysterious way possible: She just up and leaves without any warning, leaving Uncle Everett and Woodrow completely baffled about where she's gone.
Quote #2
"I wonder how my mama could ever have left here to marry my daddy and go live up there with him," Woodrow said. "It seems like this beautiful place has everything you could ever want, and nothing could ever hurt you here." (4.62)
Woodrow totally cannot understand how his mother would ever leave Coal Station, but he also doesn't know about how much she suffered after Amos married her sister. He doesn't know yet that even the prettiest place can hide a lot of painful secrets.
Quote #3
"Maybe she's done it again," I interrupted. "Have you ever thought of that, Mama?"
Slowly, she turned back to me.
"Yes, I have thought of that. But there's Woodrow. I don't think she would leave him on purpose." (5.40-42)
Aunt Belle has a history of leaving all her sorrows behind and starting over again, but her latest disappearance has stumped her family. After all, would a mother really just leave her kid behind like that? (The answer is yes, yes she would.)