Summary

In Chapter 5, the family is at the Sleepy Elms Motel. Hannah is in the pool. Miriam is aware she and Joanne, wearing skirts and loose shirts, are a contrast to the other girls in their swimsuits. Miriam raises her arms which raises her shirt above her stomach. Joanne makes her pull it back down, worrying Samuel might see. Miriam is not worried, having seen Samuel leave earlier. Miriam sees Joanne's small tattoo and asks her past. Joanne talks about her life with her two sisters. Samuel forced her to cut ties with them, but Joanne still talks to them on the telephone sometimes when Samuel is not at home. Joanne and her sisters had a difficult childhood due to their father's alcoholism. When she was 17, Joanne “stumbled on” one of Samuel's revival services. She was captivated by the service and Samuel. He insisted...