Blankets

Craig and his brother Phil are getting bigger, and their parents decide to get another bed and create a second bedroom down the hall. From the very first night, Craig and Phil are uncomfortable being apart and find excuses to retreat to each other’s bed: the cold, the cubby hole. As they grow up, Craig admits that it became “inexcusable” (459) to rely on each other this way, and slowly the two brothers drifted apart. He explains to Raina that Phil, now 14, is basically a stranger to him despite living under the same roof. Raina hears from her mom that it is too late to save her parents’ marriage, and Raina falls ill on Craig’s last day with her due to stress. The two pack up Craig’s things, including the quilt, and Laura sobs as she hangs onto Craig and begs him to stay. Raina’s dad offers to drive Craig home and the drive is long, with stretches of plain field drawn to indicate the repetitive scenery.

They arrive at the meeting point, and Craig and Raina say goodbye while their parents chat. Both of them are upset to be parting ways, but they