“No doubt he had his own reasons for staying away all these years, refusing all contact with them. Assuming, please God, he was alive. It was easy to imagine in retrospect that Jack might have tired of it all, even though they knew he made a somber game of it. Sometimes he had seemed to wish he could simply trust a brother, a sister.”

Upon returning home to her parents’ home, Glory is reminded of her estranged brother Jack who has always remained isolated from the larger Boughton family. She empathizes with Jack now as an adult. Glory feels a connection to Jack despite their lack of interaction as children. This connection provides the foundation of their growing relationship, which is a focal point of the novel.

“The past was a very fine thing, in its place. But her returning home now, to stay, as her father said, had turned memory portentous. To have it overrun its bounds this way and become present and possibly future, too—they all knew this was a thing to be regretted.”

Glory has returned home to care for her ailing father. She can no longer escape the reminders of her past trauma and must confront her painful memories. Robinson speaks to the impact of the past on the present and the future. Newly heartbroken, Glory is unsure of what the future holds for her, but she recognizes the impact her past will have on her future.

“She said, ‘Glory, you take things too much to heart.’ That was what they always said about her. Hope was serene, Luke was generous, Teddy was brilliant, Jack was Jack, Grace was musical, and Glory took everything to heart.”

Glory recalls being told as a child that she was too emotional. Glory’s ability to empathize with others allows Glory to forge an unbreakable bond with her estranged brother Jack. She grows more emotional as the novel progresses and begins to accept her strong emotions as a part of her identity.