The School Story

“When her dad died, Natalie had decided she needed to talk to her mom more. Sometimes she pretended to be interested in her mom’s work at the publishing company even when she wasn’t.”

This quote establishes the one of the central themes of the work, The Effects of Loss. Because of her father’s passing, Natalie knows that her mother might feel lonely or have no one to talk to, so Natalie takes on the duty of making sure her mom has someone to lean on. This also characterizes Natalie as an empathetic and kind person as well as establishing Natalie's close relationship with her mother.

“And that was when Natalie hid some of her favorite books in the back of her closet. She didn’t want her mom to read them anymore. Those were Daddy’s books. Sometimes late at night, or on a quiet Sunday afternoon, Natalie would open up The Sailor Dog or The Grouchy Ladybug, and she could hear her father’s voice reading to her.”

This quote helps develop The Effects of Loss theme by showing how Natalie attempts to preserve memories of her father. Because of his animated style of reading, she didn’t want to hear her mother’s soothing voice reading the same stories her father used to read her. This quote also links Natalie’s love of reading to her father.

“She sat in her dad’s old red desk chair and used his old Macintosh computer. Not quite a cabin or an attic, but close enough—and it was as close as Natalie could get to her dad.”

This quote provides the reader with an image of Natalie’s workspace while writing and develops The Effects of Loss theme by linking Natalie’s writing to her grief over the loss of her father. By using her father’s old chair and computer, she can feel more connected to him. The connection between Natalie’s writing and her dad is only strengthened as the book continues.