How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Whitney, in contrast, was a silent fumer. She'd never tell you when she was mad. You just knew, by the expression on her face, the steely narrowing of her eyes, the heavy, enunciated sighs that could be so belittling that words, any words, seemed preferable to them. (1.71)
Every member of the Greene family has their own method of communicating, and they don't always mesh well. It's no wonder that Kristen (the family spit fire) has trouble handling Whitney's particular brand of passive aggressiveness.
Quote #2
[...] Sophie's [outspokenness] was different. I liked it, almost envied it. I couldn't say what I wanted, but I could always count on her to speak up, and the events she set into motion—always a little risky, at least for me, but fun at the same time—were ones I never would have gotten to experience left to my own devices. (4.16)
Maybe one of the reasons that Annabel ends up following Sophie's lead for years is because Sophie can forge her way in the world better than Annabel can. After all, Sophie's not afraid to say anything, and that opens up some doors for the both of them.
Quote #3
I wasn't sure I could even fathom it, but I still envied Owen his easy bluntness, the ability to open himself out into the world instead of folding deeper within. (5.279)
Annabel wishes she could be like Owen, who is so open and honest. The thing is that she can be that way—she just has to be brave enough to tell the truth and make herself vulnerable to others.
Quote #4
It was hard to believe that once I'd been so nervous to tell him what I thought. Now, it came naturally. (9.3)
Hanging out with Owen, who pretty much says what he wants (and expects others to do the same), is good practice for Annabel. Soon she's even able to—gasp—tell him that she thinks his music sucks.
Quote #5
Here was my sister, queen of the overshare, holding out on me. Holding back. I was used to having to guess with some people, but never Kristen, and I wasn't sure I liked it. She, however, sounded happier than I'd heard her in months. (12.24)
Not everyone just keeps communicating the same way for their whole lives. Kristen starts learning how to communicate more effectively, and in a way Annabel does too by learning to open up.
Quote #6
But all I could think was that it felt like my whole life had changed—again—in just the few weeks I'd known Owen; and not for the first time, I wanted to tell him so. Find the right words, string them together in the ideal way, knowing that here they would have the best chance of sounding perfect. (12.108)
Like Rolly, Annabel is always waiting for the perfect moment to make her feelings known. But maybe there is never a perfect way to say things. Maybe you just have to let it all out and hope for the best.
Quote #7
I didn't want to lie to him. At the same time, though, I knew I couldn't tell him what had really happened—not here, not tonight. Maybe not ever. (14.30)
Annabel wants so badly to open up to someone, but it's really hard. After all, if she can't tell her parents what happened, how can she possibly sit down and say the right thing to Owen? How can she put it into words?
Quote #8
Kristen may have been mastering the art of true communication, but I was failing miserably. Not just with Owen, but with my mother as well, as I'd somehow, in the midst of everything else that was happening, agreed to do another Kopf's commercial. (15.80)
Annabel needs to speak up and tell people what's going on with her. By staying silent she's not giving anyone a chance to support her in her times of need—instead she's pretending that everything is a-okay when it's clearly not.
Quote #9
Kristen sighed. "I've just learned a lot about being more concise. As well as making an effort to hear what's being said to me. I mean, do you realize how few people actually listen these days?" (16.81)
How ironic. For Annabel, improved communication may mean speaking up more and expressing her feelings—but for Kristen, on the other hand, it means speaking less and listening more closely to what other people have to say.
Quote #10
Sitting there, watching my sister, I wondered which was harder, in the end. The act of telling, or who you told it to. Or maybe if, when you finally got it out, the story was really all that mattered. (16.174)
Whitney has always been the private sister, but even she works up to the point where she's able to get up in front of a crowd and tell her story. Maybe that's a sign that Annabel should work on being able to do the same thing.