Style of the Novel
Setting:
The setting for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant predominantly takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. While reading the novel, it becomes apparent that no matter how hard Cody, Ezra, and Jenny try to escape from the life they once had in Baltimore, they are never fully able to rid themselves of the memories that haunt their childhood while they grew up in Baltimore. The Tull’s home in Baltimore serves as a symbol for each family member. For instance, Pearl Tull is constantly repairing the house in the novel, always finds something that she feels needs to be fixed or upgraded. The house is never good enough for Pearl, which is a euphemism for Pearl’s need to control and perfect everything within her life. The time frame of the novel covers roughly fifty-five years, from the middle 1920s — the time of Pearl's marriage — to 1979, the year of her death.
Point of View:
One of the most prominent strengths of the novel, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, is that each chapter is told from the perspective of a different family member of the Tull family. In each chapter, the character speaking, whether Cody Tull or Jenny Tull, uncovers memories they have of the past, and how the events they were part of led to the type of person they became. Each chapter reveals some interesting event that further explains the conflicts between the members of the Tull family. The point of view that the chapter is told in is a reflection of the character whose life is most affected by events or secrets that unfold in the chapter.As a result of the alternating narration, the reader is able to understand the main characters better and the events that spur the family’s conflicts.
Symbolism:
The title of the novel refers to Ezra's restaurant, a restaurant he inherits from his business partner, Mrs. Scarlatti. The restaurant, for Ezra, is a symbol for his desire to leave home. In Ezra’s case, the meaning of homesick refers to his being sick of his home and life in Baltimore. For Jenny, the term homesick conveys Jenny’s desire to be back at home in Baltimore. For Cody, the meaning of homesick represents his feeling of sickness when he has to return to his childhood home in Baltimore.