Roll With It

The first three chapters of this novel introduce readers to Ellie and her mother, Alice. Ellie is the first-person narrator and protagonist who makes decisions that move the plot forward. Ellie is an adolescent with cerebral palsy who immediately subverts the stereotypical expectations for children with disabilities. She asserts that she has an opinion and is not always “sunshine and cuddles” (4). Her mother, Alice, is a single parent who tries to meet all of Ellie’s needs on her own, as Ellie’s father is vastly absent from her life. Alice is strong, supportive, and occasionally overprotective.

This portion of Roll with It is set in Nashville, Tennessee. Ellie attends school in Nashville, and Alice is employed as a teacher. The setting of these chapters differentiates this portion from the rest of the novel, as all other chapters take place in Eufaula, Oklahoma. The first three chapters function as a contrast between the life that Ellie and Alice lead in Nashville with no family ties and the life they lead in Eufaula where they have strong family ties and build valuable friendships. This point underpins the theme of Finding Belonging With Family and Friends.

Common Challenges Faced by People With a Disability is the central theme in this novel, beginning in Chapter 1. Readers learn that Ellie uses a wheelchair because she has cerebral palsy. Sumner, however, is careful to introduce Ellie as a rounded person before describing her physical disability. Ellie’s condition creates external conflict throughout the novel as Ellie navigates her physical world, aided by technology and other people. It also creates internal conflict as she struggles to find a sense of belonging and asserts her desire to function independently at school.

Ellie’s grandpa, Jonah Cowan, also contributes to the exploration of navigating disability. In these chapters, his Alzheimer’s condition noticeably worsens. The novel begins in medias res in terms of Jonah’s Alzheimer’s; in Chapter 1, Jonah locks Marianne out of their home and the neighbors help her to break in. In Chapter 2, Jonah is involved in an accident in which he runs his truck into the grocery store windows. The reader is hence immediately presented with challenges and dangerous consequences to engage them with this plotline. These events build conflict in the novel as readers see Alice decide to move to her parents’ home in Oklahoma to help with Jonah’s medical care.

This section also places an emphasis on the importance of strong family bonds. Readers bear witness to the close supportive relationship between Ellie and her mother. Their dedication to supporting and loving one another is paramount in the novel. There is clearly a strong bond to both of Alice’s parents as well, evidenced by consistent phone calls which update Alice and Ellie of Jonah’s condition and Alice’s decision to move are indicative. This bond generates the secondary conflict in the novel regarding whether Ellie’s grandpa and Mema should move to assisted living.

Sumner uses food to convey characters’ identities and relationships from the first page. From the lasagna Ellie and her mom eat in Chapter 1, to the peach galette Ellie bakes in Chapter 2, to the barbecue that they pick up in Memphis in Chapter 3, food appears in every chapter of this segment. The lasagna is too dry at the edges, the peach galette turns out too soggy, but the lemon square that Ellie gets at the barbecue restaurant is simply perfect. In each case, the food reflects Ellie’s grandparents’ situation, and the food improves as Ellie and Alice go to help them.