Summary

Chapters 27 and 28 tie up the loose ends of the novel and end the story with relief and a sense of justice. Chapter 27 starts exactly where Chapter 1 left off – with Dixie reading Mama’s diary. After she finishes it, Dixie talks to Mama about what she has read. Through this conversation, Everhart reveals Mama’s past: Uncle Ray raped Mama at the age of 17 and this resulted in her flee to Alabama as well as the birth of AJ.

Mama begins to unload her past on Dixie – telling her that she came down to Alabama and found Daddy. Though Mama was grateful for Daddy and that he had not cared about her pregnancy, in their marriage Mama felt alone. Once Daddy attempted suicide and the family faced financial ruin, Uncle Ray called Mama and apologized for his past behavior and offered himself up to...