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Even the younger Richardsons had it,
this sureness in themselves.
breathed in the scent of his wake: sweat and sun and heat.
Credenzas.
As if she were just one more chick in the brood.
At dinner Pearl talked about the Richardsons as if they were a TV show she was fanatical about.
Mia nodded and mm-hmmed, and wondered every evening if this was wise, if it was right for her daughter to fall under the spell of a family so entirely.
Then she thought about the previous spring, when Pearl had gotten a cough so bad Mia had finally taken her to the hospital, where they learned it had turned into pneumonia.
This time with the Richardsons imagined as potentially harmful.
So she said nothing, and the next day another afternoon would pass with Pearl over at the Richardsons’ again, becoming more bewitched.
To Moody, it was a fascinating psychological study, every episode another example of just how strange humanity could be.
Izzy found the whole thing unspeakably idiotic and barricaded herself upstairs, practicing her violin.
The contrasts between siblings is strong.
Izzy sat down on the floor and refused to move. For the recital—with the aid of a mirror and a Sharpie—Izzy had written NOT YOUR PUPPET
across her forehead and cheeks just before taking the stage, where she stood stock-still while the others, disconcerted, danced around her.
Societal outlier, a pariah amongst peers.
This was how, one afternoon, Pearl came home with a bagful of new clothes.
The Richardsons solidify their hold on Pearl’s psyche. Lexie influences Pearl’s way of life.
as if she were in Oz instead of the Richardsons’ house.
Brian had pictures of himself as a baby in a Princeton onesie.
Expectations a theme/recurring concept in the story?
“Lexie’s got a good brain. She just doesn’t always use it in real life.”
The siblings constantly undermine each other. The conflict is real.
“‘Cinderella’ from the point of view of the stepsisters. Maybe they weren’t so wicked after all. Maybe she was actually a bitch to them.”
Family theme returns.
“Maybe she didn’t know what she was giving up until afterward. Maybe once she saw the baby she changed her mind.”
“Don’t be too quick to judge, Lexie.”
Lexie talks herself down...
But both were growing increasingly uneasy.
Lexie is stealing Pearl from Moody and Mia.
something she was sure Pearl would love, but would never get invited to on her own.
Acknowledging Pearl’s social status; shallow.
After that, Pearl needed no further persuasion.
Francine Prose explains this form of telling.
Lexie and Serena Wong, though, had both been invited by Stacie herself, and thus had dispensation to bring a guest—even a sophomore that no one really knew.
askance
Austin Powers.
Circa 1997 setting
traipsing
crenellated
equestrienne,
Is the right viewpoint for Shaker’s residents to have?
Great use of simile
She wove flowers into her hair.
What she had felt for Jamie back then had been just a tiny, passing flame.
All her life, she had learned that passion, like fire, was a dangerous thing.
It scaled walls and jumped ov...
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conflagration.
Rules existed for a reason: if you followed them, you would succeed; if you didn’t, you might burn the world to the ground.
The heart of the conflict.
but she had wrinkles all around her lips that made her mouth look permanently puckered.
Bwa ha ha ha ha!!!
It’s going to say yes.
she huddled in bed and tried to think about what to do.
Foreshadowing a sacrifice.
Don’t have premarital sex and unintentionally conceive...
Why is you lying?
😒
Conveying privilege.
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THIS IS OKAY?!?!
How manipulative...
😮😮😮
