56 pages • 1 hour read
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Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness and cursing.
Parental divorce often demands early maturity from the children involved, a phenomenon illustrated in both Bailey’s and Charlie’s stories. Whether subtly or more obviously, they are pulled into adult emotional terrain before they are developmentally ready to navigate it. The novel establishes this idea early on with their first meeting, in which they are both already taking solo flights across the country. This early maturity is referenced when Charlie berates himself, stating he is “too damn old to feel this fucking homesick” while on the plane to Nebraska from Alaska (9). Through Bailey’s and Charlie’s lives and relationships, Painter explores the profound effect that divorce can have on children, highlighting both the characters’ early maturity and its cost.
With Charlie’s character, Painter highlights how the effects of this early maturity may even become physical. Children rely on their parents for structure and emotional safety, but when that structure breaks down, they may no longer feel like they can fully depend on the adults around them. This manifests in Charlie through his anxiety and acid reflux. The acid reflux, caused by Charlie’s “overthinking,” as he calls it, makes him “feel like [he is] broken, especially when [his] mom trie[s] to help by bringing up mental exercises that the therapist thought could help [him]” (129).