Pearl Cody Tull

Pearl is the matriarch of the Tull family, who has raised her three children mostly alone. She is described as average looking with an air of worry. She marries Beck Tull at thirty years old, and has her first child at age 36. Her life is deeply affected by her husband’s abandonment, and it leads her to experience severe self-doubt, and become extremely controlling and needy toward her children. When they don’t submit to her control, she abuses them both physically and verbally. As the children grow up and move away, she gradually stops her abusiveness, though never quite releases her dissatisfaction in who they become. She alternately blames herself and absolves herself of blame for their faults and unhappiness. As she gets close to death, she spends her time trying to find out when she was truly happy. The novel plot pivots on her...