How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Eleanor was only supposed to stay with them for a few days, maybe a week. Just until Richie cooled down and let her come home. (8.40)
The details of Eleanor's time at the Hickman's are revealed slowly. It wasn't so bad initially, right? Just a few days. It's all fine… until her mom doesn't call her for six months.
Quote #2
At first, her mom would call Eleanor at the Hickman's almost every day after school. After a few months, the calls stopped. It turned out that Richie hadn't paid the phone bill, and it got disconnected. But Eleanor didn't know that for a while. (8.42)
That last sentence—wham. The thought that Eleanor didn't know why her mom wasn't calling hits like a truck.
Quote #3
Her mom hadn't said anything like that since Eleanor moved home. She seemed to realize that she'd lost her right to knock. (10.13)
Yeah, when you leave your kid somewhere for a year, things are going to change, aren't they?
Quote #4
"I don't actually have a home number," Eleanor said.
"Ah," Mrs. Dunne said, "I see. Would your dad know that?"
"Probably not," Eleanor said. She was surprised he even knew what school she went to. (17.24-26)
Here's a subtle way Eleanor deals with her dad's abandonment. Did he know she was living with the neighbors for a year? Did Eleanor's mom consider taking Eleanor to her dad's house? We think "no" is probably the answer to both of those questions.
Quote #5
He was always dropping hints about her weight. Well, he used to, anyway. Maybe when he stopped caring about her altogether, he'd stopped caring about that, too. (19.2)
Eleanor hints here that maybe there was a point when her dad did care about her a tiny bit, but that time has long since passed.
Quote #6
Their dad couldn't stand having them even for a few days. He used to pick them up from their mom's house, then drop them off at his mom's house, while he went off and did whatever it was that he did on the weekend. (19.8)
Eleanor's dad really sent a clear message that he didn't want Eleanor and her siblings at all. He didn't have the kids during the week, and when he did have them, he left them with his mom. Father of the year, right? Not so much.
Quote #7
He still lived in the same duplex he'd lived in since her parents split up. It was solid and brick, and about a ten-minute drive from Eleanor's school. (19.33)
This is another jaw-dropping thought—Eleanor's dad lives only ten minutes from her school, and he has no idea what's going on in Richie's house, does he? He's really not that far away, yet he doesn't have a clue. That practically takes effort.
Quote #8
Where would she go this time? Back to the Hickmans? Hey, remember that time when my mom asked if I could stay with you guys for a few days, and then she didn't come back for a year? I really appreciate the fact that you didn't turn me into Child Protective Services. That was very Christian of you. Do you still have that foldout couch? (25.14)
As the story goes on, we find out a few more details about Eleanor's time at the Hickmans. She was worried that she'd be turned into the foster care system, and slept on a temporary couch. All of this adds up: Eleanor doesn't have a place she clearly belongs.
Quote #9
And if Richie had been inside waiting for her, maybe she would have dropped to her knees and begged him to let her stay. Maybe she would have said anything he wanted her to. (25.58)
Wow. Eleanor's saying she would rather have stayed with Richie, instead of being abandoned. In that last sentence, she sounds a lot like her mom, doesn't she?
Quote #10
Maybe her mom realized that she'd pretty much forfeited the right to ask questions for all eternity when she dumped Eleanor at somebody's house for a year. (31.20)
Here's another example of how things have changed between Eleanor and her mom. We sense Eleanor might be a little bitter, here. Actually, maybe a little more than bitter. What do you think?