“The ferry arrives, and we move forward, toward it. Its steps are steep, and we have to link arms for the climb.”
This is the final sentence of the story "Escapes." Caryn has just told her niece, Jennifer, about the true nature of her father's death: he hanged himself while in jail for dealing drugs. Jennifer already knew this, but she really appreciates the honesty: the image of them linking arms to board the ferry represents their newfound friendship that will be able to support Jennifer as she moves on past adolescence into adulthood (the steep steps).
“I think it’s a shame that people can’t be who they are. Whatever that is. If someone loves you, they don’t care what you are. They love you no matter what. You have to be yourself. Be happy with who you are.”
Acceptance and love are two of the major themes of this collection, and they meet in this quote from Jim's mother in the story "Dropping Bombs." Jim is a young gay man who is afraid of breaking the news to his conservative mother, who is visiting him in California. Despite his fears, however, his mother surprises him with this mini-speech, in which she assures him of her unconditional love and claims that he needs to embrace and enjoy who is really is. A cliché message, but a convincing one.
“She mows and mows, unable to put her thoughts in any order that makes sense. The timer shuts off, leaving just her kitchen illuminated, with her husband sitting at the table, unmoving, a distinguished man with silver hair.”
In this story, Marjorie, despite a secret affair of her own, has discovered that her husband is a pedophile, and he's been molesting the young girls next door. In order to deal with this shocking revelation, she begins to mow, using the physical exertion as a coping mechanism. The image of her husband sitting at the kitchen table, the only illuminated part of the whole scene, giving anyone passing by the opportunity to look in the window, gives a striking image: her husband has finally been exposed for who is really is, and this knowledge is soon to be open to the world.
