By the end of the book, he wonders if it is normal for a mother to still be bathing her twelve-year-old son. His mother likes it that way, as she has him under her thumb, and he always takes her side of any situation. He is socially awkward, probably having an Oedipus complex. Edie turns out to have a good grasp on reality and helps Violet figure out a few things.William is home-schooled and appears to be a very intelligent young man.

When Violet gets a letter from Rose, Edie is as happy as Violet. Violet makes a good friend, Edie, while in the hospital. She’s hoping they will keep Violet, if not forever, at least for many years. Who can blame him? He is apparently cheating on Josephine with a woman named Carrie.Josephine doesn’t approve of Violet’s best friend and her brother, and when she finds out that the teens have been using different types of drugs, she manages to have Violet committed to a mental facility for evaluation. Douglas is mostly in the background, paying little real attention to his children and seems to be afraid of his wife. In fact, anything that reflects on her perfect family is swept under the rug, and Josephine keeps worrying about her self and manipulating everyone in sight. Josephine is more upset that Rose abandoned her and disowned her family and that Rose’s boyfriend talked ugly to her on the telephone than she is concerned about Rose’s well being. Josephine reports her as missing, there is a small investigation, and evidence is found to indicate that she left of her own free will. Violet informs her that when a person as old as Rose leaves home, it’s not called running away, it’s called moving out. William – the twelve-year-old Mama’s BoyAs the story begins, Rose has just run away from home, as Josephine says. Violet – the sixteen-year-old experimenting with drugs daughter 5.

Rose – the twenty-year-old aspiring actress daughter 4. Douglas – the mostly ineffective, trying to recover alcoholic Father 3. Josephine – the Beast Mother from Hell – definitely a narcissist 2.

Mother mother by koren zailckas