A Corner of the Universe

Hattie blames Angel Valentine for Adam’s death, even though Hattie knows that Angel is not at all to at fault. Watching Mom dress to visit Nana the next day, Hattie notices that Mom has pictures of all the family members on her mirror except Adam. Mom never visited Adam at his school because Nana told her not to. When Hattie asks Mom if she loved Adam, Mom angrily almost slaps Hattie, but apologizes and says that she did love Adam, but that he was “very hard to love” (169). Hattie remembers things Adam would do and say and seems to hear his voice in her head. She wishes he had not killed himself, but acknowledges he had some cause. Hattie realizes she never wrote a letter to Leila. Mom’s brother, Hayden, arrives and wants to know everything that happened, making Hattie reflect on their family’s poor communication. Sad that Adam’s obituary only gives bare facts and does not capture his essence, Hattie gets permission to speak at the funeral to tell people about the real Adam.