Describe the narrator's parents.

Lorraine Coogan, the narrator's mother, is hardworking, exhausted, and often absent from home. She loved to paint, but she gave up her passion to return to work. By the end of the novel, she has cut back on her work hours gave up her early passion for painting when she went back to work. When Mrs. Coogan to spend more time with her children and aging father.

Mr. Coogan, like his wife, works an inordinate amount of hours. More often than not, he is too busy for his family, and John is never quite sure how to approach him. He is detached from his family, and he is self-absorbed. He is, none-the-less, a good provider.