“You think we're some jolly, situation-comedy family when we're in particles, torn apart, torn all over the place, and our mother was a witch.”
On the surface, Pearl’s family seems like any other family however they are much more dysfunctional than a regular household. There is abandonment, toxic sibling rivalry and also broken relationships. In the assertion, Cody lashes out at his father, Beck who has just come back to attend their mother’s funeral. Beck, however, finds the family in a calm and loving state but Cody is quick to point out this is not usually the norm. Beck was about to take comfort with the fact that the family turnED out fine despite his absence. Cody is quick to affirm the family has been damaged for a long time; even Ezra’s efforts to restore the love are unsuccessful.
“If only you could turn it back again, you think. If only you could change this or that, undo what you have done, if only you could roll the minutes the other way, for once.”
Memories play a huge role in the narrative as it molds the mindset of each member of the Tull household. Each member has a different take on the past as their memories of their childhood differ. While Ezra has fond memories of the past and only wish to recreate it with his restaurant, Cody has terrible memories of his childhood. Most of the narrative finds Beck absent but when he shows up he asserts the statement to express how memories affect them all. For Beck, his regret would definitely be abandoning his family since it negatively impacted his family.
