Relationships

The author demonstrates how people understand their place in the world by relating to the people around them.

At the heart of the collection, the relationship between Sadie and Jack is the most prevalent. The reader meets Sadie and Jack as a couple who are in “the early days of their lives together. This was their first wedding” (1). In "The Irish Wedding," Sadie is being introduced to Jack’s family, while Jack is introduced to Sadie’s mother in The Get-Go. Both Sadie and Jack have their struggles in relating with the family. Sadie experiences a culture clash with Jack’s, while Jack is not readily welcomed by Sadie’s mother Linda.

Sadie and Jack continue to learn how to be in a relationship with each other. Twice Sadie lies to Jack. First Sadie claims to like puppets, which Jack knows is a lie. The second...