How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Here's the thing about my father and me. We got along just fine. Everything had been great between us since he had stopped drinking when I was thirteen. Then one day when I was around sixteen I decided to start being a bastard to him. I had no real explanation for it. Still don't. (3.49)
Boy, teenagers always have fraught relationships with their parents, don't they? It's obvious that Cullen and his dad still have a lot of stuff to work out, especially with his dad's history of alcoholism and Cullen's penchant for pessimism.
Quote #2
I punched my brother lightly on the right arm the way brothers do to show affection, and we walked over toward the car as Lucas pulled up. (3.69)
Hugging each other would probably be too weird and not manly enough. It's way better to just punch your brother in the arm in order to tell him how much you love him, right?
Quote #3
In the two weeks following my brother's vanishing off the face of the Earth, my parents seemed to be closer than ever. My dad had stayed at the house every night, refusing to go on any out-of-town runs or to stay away from my mother for more than a couple of hours at a time. (5.115)
Some families may be challenged and torn apart by the loss of a loved one, but Cullen's family does the opposite—they band together to try to find Gabriel. That doesn't make things any less miserable for them, though.
Quote #4
Benton Sage had, since he was a young boy, one ultimate goal in mind at all times: to make his father proud of him. (6.15)
Poor Benton. He cares about his dad's opinion even more than he cares about his god's. Since his dad is ultimately always disappointed in him, it seems like there's going to be nothing in his future but heartbreak and shame.
Quote #5
Now, with Oslo gone, my mother had taken to visiting her sister on a daily basis, usually right after she left the salon, and would most often take Julia a sandwich or burger from somewhere, knowing she probably hadn't eaten that day. (15.15)
Cullen's mom and her sister Julia seem set in their ways since they are middle-aged adults, but when Oslo dies, all their previous habits go out the window. Instead of being the chatty one who always drops in unannounced, Julia becomes a hermit, and Cullen's mom has to step up to take care of her.
Quote #6
Beverly Ember had given up in those few weeks trying to be directly involved in her granddaughter's life, questioning whether or not she had been overbearing or too nosy. She did, however, still hand Alma a check nearly every week, trusting that she would use it for food or rent. (16.6)
Alma's grandma may not approve of her choices in life (after all, marrying Cabot wasn't the smartest thing she ever did), but she still wants her granddaughter to be okay. That's why she keeps giving her money even when she's married to a religious maniac.
Quote #7
There I was, seventeen years old, and the first time my dad showed me the littlest bit of attention was when I least wanted him to. Didn't he know that all I felt like doing was fading into the background? Leaning against a wall and disappearing into it? (17.1)
Hmm, maybe the summer of Gabriel's disappearance isn't the best time to start showing an interest in Cullen's college applications, huh? But his dad is probably just realizing that he needs to interact and cherish his sons while they're around; sometimes they're taken away from you without warning.
Quote #8
My dad remained patient. He calmed her down. He watched her from all angles of the room. He brought her glasses of water with tiny blue pills. He looked at me the way one looks at you in a funeral home. The way you would look at someone who had just been given bad news. (17.30)
It's clear that Gabriel's disappearance has brought Cullen's parents closer together, even though they're both more difficult to be around. At least his dad's realized that he can't work all the time now—he's got to be around to look out for his family.
Quote #9
"You really do look just like him, ya know?" she asked me, staring at my face.
"Mom, please," I said. (17.75-76)
Now that she's missing Gabriel in her life, Cullen's mom is starting to look for her lost son everywhere. Since Cullen is the closest thing that she has to Gabriel, she latches onto him.
Quote #10
Beverly paid for Alma's flight home. She hugged her tightly. She cried. She whispered into her only granddaughter's ear, "You are so loved." (18.2)
Poor Alma's grandmother doesn't want to see her granddaughter go, but she knows it's for the best. After all, Alma can't hang around in the same town where her insane ex-husband lives. She needs to get away.