Tricks

“Anyway, I relate to God in a very personal way. Don’t need anyone to tell me how to do it better. I see His hand everywhere—in red sunrises and orange sunsets; in rain, falling on thirsty fields; in how a newborn lamb finds his mama in the herd. I thank God for these things. And for you.”

Andrew’s belief in unconditional love and acceptance fuels Eden’s desire to be with him and rebel against her parents’ dogma. These lines signify the first time that Eden hears someone express their love for her that is unconditional. Andrew describes God as a guiding hand who influences the color of sunrises and sunsets, provides rain to fields personified as thirsty, brings a lamb to its mother, and, importantly, guides him to Eden. This quote alludes to the hope that Eden will find love outside of the rigidity of her parents’ belief system.

“For me, who had never dared confess that I have questioned church dogma for quite some time, mostly because I am highly aware of hypocrisy and notice it all too often among my father’s flock. I mean, how can you claim to walk in the light of the Lord when you’re cheating on your husband or stealing from your best friend/business partner? Okay, I’m something of a cynic.”

Eden points out the hypocrisy that she sees in religious organizations, including her pastor father’s followers, compared here to a “flock.” She juxtaposes this hypocrisy through the example of people who claim to walk in the Lord’s light while cheating romantically or stealing from others. Despite this, Eden has never felt safe enough to express her true feelings. This line reveals how Eden must keep her feelings and thoughts hidden from her parents because she knows that they will never accept her. This lack of authenticity leads to Eden feeling isolated until she finds Andrew.

“His lips brushed my forehead, the pulse in my right temple, Will I burn if I kiss you? I was scared, but not of burning, and I wanted that kiss more than anything I’d ever wanted in my life. ‘Probably. And I’ll burn with you. But it will be worth it.’”

This quote highlights the symbolism of religion, particularly regarding judgment. Eden’s allusion to hell and burning shows that she still operates within her parents’ beliefs, even if she does not want to believe in them. Yet this quote reveals Eden’s first moment of rebellion; for the first time, she does not care if her actions lead her to hell, believing that it is worthwhile to act on her desire.

“Mom got off the phone with Aunt Josie, clucking like a hen. Who would have believed our pretty little Liz would grow up to be such a whore. I thought that was harsh, and told her so. She said flat out, Getting pregnant without getting married first makes her a whore in God’s eyes.”

Seth’s flashback to his mother’s shaming of his cousin’s teenage pregnancy—classifying her as a “whore”—shows how this moment shaped his outlook on sex. This conversation only allowed Seth to view sex as shameful, especially in the eyes of God. Although Seth did not come out to his mother when she was alive, he infers that her judgment about his cousin means that she would have a hard time accepting that he is gay. Rather than experience his mother’s judgment, Seth kept his sexual orientation a secret from her.

“You are my oxygen, my sustenance, the blood inside my veins. When we touch, you are my skin, hold all my joy inside of you. When you go, I wither.”

Eden’s poem reveals the depth of her love for Andrew using metaphors that emphasize his life-giving qualities. Comparing Andrew to her oxygen, sustenance, and blood depicts him as essential for sustaining her life, as without it, she will “wither.” This quote highlights her trust in him and her belief that their love is real even if her parents will not admit it.

“How can I make them understand that love this real, this deep, must come from God? I look up again at the night sky, but here, city lights take center stage, mute the celestial backdrop. I don’t belong in my parents’ cold house. I’m a stray, called to another place, where rules and expectations don’t dare intrude. A warm place, safe in Andrew’s arms.”

Eden’s metaphor of feeling like a stray emphasizes how her parents’ lack of love for her runs deeper than her relationship with Andrew. Andrew’s love is the catalyst for her understanding of how her parents have controlled every aspect of her life. Once Eden sees that her parents do not care about her, she realizes that she will only ever find acceptance from people outside of her home.

“What seems so clear most of the time becomes a big question mark. Am I really the way I perceive myself, or is the person others see the truth of me?”

Seth’s rhetorical question shapes his storyline. Since he must hide his identity to survive in his hometown, Seth has trouble distinguishing who he is apart from the person he pretends to be. This causes Seth to be unable to accept himself, which is how Carl preys upon him.

“And the worst are the ones you don’t suspect. They’re the ones you invite inside your front door.”

Paige’s warning about predators whom people invite inside foreshadows Whitney’s dangerous relationship with Bryn. Although Whitney knows that Bryn does not have her best interests in mind, she still invites him inside, hoping that he will prove her wrong.

“I slide my arms up around Andrew’s neck. ‘I love you. More than anything in the world.’ And for a swift-passing moment, the thought crosses my mind that I love him more than anything in any world. Torn, always torn, I throw out a silent entreaty to whatever might exist beyond this world: ‘If love like this is wrong, Lord, go ahead and damn me.’”

Eden’s prayer to God after she decides to have sex with Andrew shows certainty in her decision. She finally decides to put her feelings before what her parents have told her to believe. Although she is scared, she feels confident in her decision.

“I feel zero trepidation as Andrew takes my hand, encourages me through the front door. I hold my breath, not sure why. I feel like a bride on her wedding night, despite the nag inside my head who insists: Not married. Not right. Not married…‘Shut up!’ I will her, silently.”

This quote highlights the shame that Eden feels before she and Andrew have sex, as her religion has taught her that she cannot have sex before marriage. The repetition of “Not married” shows the initial difficulty she has overcoming this message and the impact of family and societal pressures on youth; Eden feels that her decision to have sex will change her forever. However, she pushes past it, telling herself to block these thoughts out.

“Loren shakes his head. Never say never, dear. You might be surprised at what you can do, should circumstances dictate.”

Loren’s words foreshadow the events of the novel in each teenager’s life. While Seth protests that he will never have a keeper, Hopkins shows how he gets coerced into it to survive.

“Watch the red flow, let it go, drip, make it slow, drip. If you’ve done it right, you won’t wake from the night’s indescribably peaceful dream.”

This quote from Ginger’s poem emphasizes the depression and pain that she experiences after years of sexual assault from Iris’s boyfriends. Ginger finds comfort in self-harm because she feels out of control of her life. This behavior also shows her suicidal ideation, as she here alludes to the possibility of death, described as not waking from “the night’s indescribably peaceful dream.”

“I never believed in demons or monsters lurking under my bed. But lately I’ve started to wonder if evil hasn’t in fact infiltrated this world, slithering streets and sidewalks, wearing whatever disguise suits its immediate purpose.”

Seth’s poem highlights his suspicion of the evil in the world, comparing lurking threats to individuals wearing “disguise suits” appropriate for their desired purpose: coercing or harming others. The verb “slithering” alludes to the movements of a snake, giving the streets and sidewalks an ominous feeling. Seth expresses his fears because of the exploitation he experiences at the hands of adults; his only explanation is that they are evil.

“How could Loren dare say he loves me? You can’t walk away from someone you love, leave them drowning in your desertion. If love has no more meaning than that, you can keep it. I don’t want it now or ever again. Don’t want to hear the word or wear its scars.”

Seth’s depression over Loren leaving, evident in feeling like he is drowning, turns into anger because of Loren’s abandonment. This connects to Seth’s grief over losing his mother, as he relates love with loss. Due to this connection, Seth does not want to experience love anymore because he thinks that it hurts too much.

“Apparently, that’s the real definition of falling in love—Satan implanted some evil angel inside me to steer me away from God’s family.”

Eden expresses her disdain for her parents’ strictness by using their religious language. She uses sarcasm to underline the ridiculous nature of her parents’ claim that she is demon-possessed rather than in love.

“People come here specifically to sin. But I wonder whether it’s really true that ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’ People stain themselves here. I bet, no matter how hard they scrub themselves after sinning, when they go home a certain amount of stain remains visible.”

Ginger uses religious imagery to emphasize the impact of Las Vegas, describing people engaging in sinful behavior that leaves them stained. She does not believe that people engaging in the commercial sexual exploitation of children can rub their “sins” away as easily as people believe they can, evident in the “stain” remaining discernible.

“I’m not sure how I feel about being someone’s prize, but it’s better than being homeless, that much I know.”

This quote emphasizes the reality of what will happen to Seth if he does not move in with Carl. Seth is unsure about being “someone’s prize,” but he sees it as better than becoming unhoused. This emphasizes the lack of control that he has in this situation.

“How have I fallen so low? I knew about junk, even told Bryn no way. Then I let him talk me into it. Love is more than blind. It’s brain-dead…Remember I once had another life. Hated it then. Might still hate it now. But more than I hate this? Hate what I’ve become?”

Whitney equates her love for Bryn as “more than blind,” alluding to the common phrase that people use to describe how love causes people to overlook flaws as if they cannot see. She describes love as “brain-dead” because she knows that he does not love her back. However, this quote emphasizes her lack of control in her life because she does not know how to escape her addiction.

“When you sell your body, you also sell what’s inside. Piece by piece, you sell your soul.”

This quote shows Ginger’s perspective on being a victim of the commercial sexual exploitation of children because of the lack of autonomy and consent that teenagers coerced into the system have. Ginger knows that after a while, this lack of consent will destroy her soul; this furthers The Struggle With Identity and Self-Worth.

“Even without them touching me, I feel dirty about what I do. Alex does even filthier things but says it all washes off with soap. I don’t believe that. I think it all leaves stains. Indelible stains.”

Ginger repeats her belief that sex leaves behind marks that cannot be erased. Her use of the term “indelible stains” alludes to the term “indelible grace,” another religious phrase; however, here, Ginger inverts the phrase to show how permanent the commercial sexual exploitation of children is, as the abuse cannot be washed off and forgotten.

“That’s where I was. Hell isn’t some fiery pit ‘down there.’ It’s all right here on Earth.”

Eden’s conclusion about religion is that her parents have made her fear hell, but she does not think that hell is in the afterlife. Eden concludes that hell is an experience on Earth based on the people who take advantage of vulnerable populations.

“Easier than coming to terms with who I was when I almost died. I don’t even know that girl. She’s an esoteric someone, like a movie character you can’t quite recognize. Even with my head just about straight, she seems like a caricature—a cartoon rendition of one of the living dead.”

Whitney’s simile about her addiction turning her into a movie character reveals how she psychologically removed herself from what was happening to her as a coping mechanism. Further, she feels like a “caricature,” which emphasizes how she cannot recognize herself. Whitney has trouble seeing the reality of what happened to her due to her trauma.

“I’ll miss her, of course. She’s been the biggest part of me for a very long time. But truth is, the biggest part of me should be me. Just have to find her.”

This quote shows Ginger’s character growth. She realizes that she put so much weight into how much Alex loves her that she never developed her self-worth. Ginger’s decision to continue putting herself first shows her commitment to growth and The Possibility of Healing in the Face of Adversity.