Summary

The next chapter is titled “On the Coast of the Moon.” Pearl makes of list of facts about her mother, including that she prized her pearl-and-diamond wedding ring set. Frankie knew that her mother was named Catarina Costa, she arrived in America from Sicily in 1918, married a shoemaker, and one day fired a gun and accidentally injured her husband. Catarina was sent to a mental asylum for a short time and the three children lived at the orphanage. When Catarina was released, the children returned home. Catarina became pregnant, but she and her baby died in childbirth, prompting Gaspare to send Frankie, Vito, and Toni back to the orphanage. Frankie has made up an extended version of the story of her mother, including that she always wanted her children to be...