Etched In Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

Long Island serves as both the physical and emotional landscape of Regina’s childhood and acts as a motif throughout the memoir. It represents home and the importance of having roots, as well as the complex interplay of safety and instability in Regina’s early life. Despite the constant upheaval caused by Cookie’s neglect, relocations, and foster placements, Long Island remains a place of formative experiences that shape Regina’s identity and allow her to build Resilience Through Family Bonds. The memoir opens with Regina reflecting on this connection: “Now, as I examined it from the sky, my emotions swelled with a love for this place—how the experiences of growing up here made me who I am” (3). This quote illustrates that Long Island is more than a place; it is a source memory and the emotional anchor for Regina’s narrative. The setting offers both joy and trauma, from moments of sibling solidarity on beaches to periods of extreme neglect in dilapidated homes. There is a strong contrast between the poverty that Regina and her family experience and the developing wealthy neighborhoods that surround them, and this contrast informs Regina’s commitment to addressing inequality.

Long Island also symbolizes continuity amid chaos. While Cookie’s choices bring instability, the place itself endures. It is where the children form their earliest bonds, play on the beaches, and imagine futures of safety and freedom. The island acts as a backdrop against which experiences of survival, resilience, and family loyalty unfold, showing that identity and belonging are deeply tied to place. Long Island is therefore a symbol of origin, memory, and permanence, anchoring the memoir’s chaotic events and emphasizing that home can be both painful and formative. Regina eventually returns to Long Island and settles there, feeling in the end that it was one of her only sources of consistency.