“We had been like an equilateral triangle. Mom was the base that held up the whole structure. When we lost her, the other two sides just collapsed in on each other.”

Stewart frequently uses metaphors from science or mathematics to describe his mental and emotional state. In this quote, he describes the triangle that constituted his family before his mother died. He aspires to build a square and add a sister. At the end of the novel, his ideal shape is an all-inclusive octagon.

“We’re bringing a lot of stuff with us, but we can’t bring the mosaic stepping-stones my mom made that line the path in the backyard, or the flowers she planted, or her molecules, which I know still float through the air, because why else can I feel her presence all the time?”

For the first time, Stewart articulates his molecule metaphor for the interconnectedness of all life. He takes a corporeal view of spirituality. Rather than seeing his mother as a disembodied spirit, he sees her as physical molecules that permeate his own being.

“What really bugs me, though, is that my family wasn’t always FUBAR. For twelve and a half years it was perfect.”

Ashley recalls her ideal nuclear family before her father announced that he was gay. Externally, it looked perfect. However, Ashley fails to see the emotional discomfort that plagued her father throughout his marriage. Looking good doesn’t equate to feeling good.