The story of the upside-down house comes to represent the polarizing power of borders and the stories people tell about them. After Tha'mma's father and Jethamoshai divide their house in half with a wall, Tha'mma tells Mayadebi, who was too young to remember when the house wasn't divided, that their aunt, uncle, and cousins do everything backwards. She insists they drink tea out of buckets, and eat dinner at breakfast time. Over time, Tha'mma almost comes to believe this fantastical story she tells, if only because she never goes to the other side after the division. Tha'mma crafts the story that the people on the other side are very different from her, when in reality, they're no different—and in fact, are family.
The Upside-Down House Quotes in The Shadow Lines
But you know, the strange thing was that as we grew older even I almost came to believe in our story.