Book+Passages

1. “The parents are making threatening noises again, turning dinner into performance art, with Dad doing his Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation and Mom playing Glenn Close is one of her psycho roles. I am the victim.” (35)

This is the first time Melinda tells us that her parents are crazy. She is the victim of the interrogation and there is so much hostility at the dinner table. (40)

2. It is the night of Halloween and Melinda’s parents aren’t exactly in the spirit. Melinda narrates, “The doorbell rings. My parents squabble about who will answer it. Then mom swears and opens the door with a high-pitched ‘Ooooh, who do we have here?’”

This shows the anger in Melinda’s house. It has a negative effect on Melinda’s life not only in her home but everywhere else. Having a broken home is quite possibly one of the main causes of her depression.

3. When Melinda and her parents sat down with the principal and the guidance counselor to discuss why Melinda has missed so much school, Melinda narrates, “I sip water from a paper cup. If the cup were lead crystal, I would open my mouth and take a bite. Crunch, crunch, swallow. They want me to speak.” (113)

Melinda has been affected by her broken home, and it is visible when her parents meet with her principal and guidance counselor.