Summary

Charlie Crawford narrates this chapter, as he walks home stoned from band practice. With this perspective, Guskin has given the reader an understanding of what it is like to have Denise as a mother. In Charlie’s eyes, he has a mother so lost in her own world of grief that she will not even notice or recognize the smell of pot on her son.

Charlie arrives home and notices Dr. Anderson, Noah and Janie outside, and believes them to be Jehovah’s Witnesses. The blonde boy, familiar to readers but a stranger to Charlie, recognizes him. Some force compels Charlie to let the group in his home, and, once inside, it becomes clear that Noah knows his way around. He walks to the piano and plays The Pink Panther theme song, Tommy’s favorite.

Janie recalls one of her...