How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When I thought about the future, and what it was going to be like, that's what I saw for myself: a house with loads of bedrooms. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, because I wanted to live on my own, like one of the skaters I saw on MTV once. (2.59)
We're surprised that the home is the first thing Sam pictures when thinking about the future. It's not because his home is bad but because that's not how people usually talk about their lives down the road. Yet his confession demonstrates how much thought and care he puts into the home.
Quote #2
I didn't say anything. I didn't know where I was or even when I was, and I didn't know what "Your turn" meant. "Sam," she said. "Wake up. He's awake. Your turn." (6.5)
The first time Sam travels to the future, he feels completely lost—he's not only confused about where he is, but when he is. The biggest surprise? He's not even in his own home. This is a shocker because he doesn't feel comfortable anywhere else. By the time he gets to the future, nothing has changed.
Quote #3
What I was really looking for was a place to live, seeing as I couldn't go home ever again, but I tried not to look at it that way. (7.28)
In Hastings, Sam thinks about how he can't go back. Ever. We know he's being melodramatic, but we can also see that it's eating away at him. He wants to be home with his mom but thinks she'll be too angry with him for that to happen.
Quote #4
Well, it couldn't really have been any more of a disaster, could it? My whole family was going to see someone to talk about problems we didn't have. The problems we did have, though, they didn't know about, and they weren't going to find out about. It would be funny, if anything was ever going to be funny again. (9.91)
At the counselor's office, Sam has to talk about running away from home and his parents' divorce. You know, all stuff that isn't actually bothering him right then. Thing is, everyone else believes it could be bothering him, which shows how far-reaching the impact of a broken home can be.
Quote #5
I didn't see why I should have to put myself out. It wasn't my idea, him coming to live with us. The truth was, he was going to move in whatever I said, I could tell. And anyway, if it wasn't him, there'd be somebody else, one day. And that might be worse, because we could end up going to live with him. (10.65)
Sam's mom wants Mark to move in but Sam's not so sure. He doesn't mind the guy, but he doesn't want to live with strangers. Sam thinks home should be somewhere he doesn't have to worry about running into some guy he barely knows. Hey, we can get behind that.
Quote #6
Home is supposed to be home, isn't it? A place where you know people. And then I remembered that according to the future I was going to end up living with a lot of people I didn't know. (10.68)
We love how Sam defines the home here. It's not just about having somewhere to sleep at night; it's the place where you know people and where they know you. It shows us that you can't just make a home with any old person. Home is more special than that.
Quote #7
I felt sick for more or less the whole day. I suppose it must have been homesickness, but how would I know, seeing as I'd never really been away from home for very long? (15.2)
Ick. Sam's not feeling too hot when he moves in with Alicia. Perhaps this is a sign that it's not meant to be. It's also a sign that his home is really important to him, and trading places means more than just moving a few boxes of stuff across town.
Quote #8
Mum didn't say anything, but I could see she was thinking about it. That was all she was thinking about, though. She obviously wasn't thinking about whether Alicia was dropping a subtle hint about who should go and who should stay. "I said, YOU LIVE HERE." (15.24)
When he moves in with Alicia, Sam's mom gets upset to see him leave home. It's a big moment for her. Why? Home is where the heart is, yo. Sam's mom knows that her son moving in with Alicia is a clear sign that he's with her now. Or to put it differently, that's where his heart is now.
Quote #9
Mum asked me a question. Like, "How are you getting on with Alicia?" Or, "It's not too difficult, is it, living in someone else's house?" Or, "Have you thought about what to do when this course finishes?"
And I just said, you know, "It's OK," or "It's not so bad," or "I dunno." (16.156-157)
Check out how his mom phrases that—"living in someone else's house." Sam and his mom clearly don't think of Alicia's pad as Sam's home. He never settles in, either, so it's no wonder he eventually moves back in with his mom.
Quote #10
I was home, and I wanted to be home. But home was somewhere else now too, and I couldn't be in both of the places at once. I was with my mum, but I couldn't be with my son. That makes you feel weird. It's felt weird ever since. (17.63)
Torn between two places, Sam doesn't feel at home. He's glad to be out of Alicia's house but sad to be away from Rufus. Now that he has a son of his own, he'll always be pulled in two different directions. That's part of what it feels like to grow up and start your own family.