How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
I wish we'd taken more vacations. I try to remember why we stopped. Dad got busy with work and Mom got busy looking busy and Jen and I started hating each other and next thing you know, we're a bunch of strangers totally uncomfortable being around each other. And who wants to go on vacation with a bunch of strangers? (21.17)
This seems like a which-came-first situation. If they had continued to go on vacation, would they still feel like strangers to each other? Would they have prioritized things differently?
Quote #11
"Just stuff about my mom. She was talking about how she used to take me to the library when I was a kid, and I didn't remember that at all. But just as I woke up, I did remember it. Crystal clear I could see myself sitting in my mom's lap over near the water fountain, and she was reading some rhyming book about monsters to me. She had on sandals and she smelled good, like shampoo. And I was happy. How did I manage to forget that?" (22.15)
See? Cam's childhood hasn't been all that bad. He's finally starting to see that a lot of his misery is self-inflicted, not the result of having a terrible family.
Quote #12
"Cameron?" he whispers. "I know you can hear me. I don't care where you are right this second. I just want you to know you are my boy. You're a part of me and I'm a part of you. Always." (28.8)
This is one of the most touching moments in the book. Cam's father, who Cam always felt is too distant and gruff, is confessing how much he loves his dying son. Of course he loves him, but over the years it became too hard to say the words to each other. And that's what makes this especially poignant.