Taylor now accepts the notion that she, Turtle, Lou Ann, and Dwayne Ray are a family. She explains to Turtle that Turtle is now, legally, Taylor's child, and then she calls Lou Ann to tell her that she and Turtle are on their way home. Lou Ann shares her good news that she has begun dating a new man — one she never would have had the courage to date before meeting Taylor — and has decided to reject Angel's offer to reconcile. But she assures Taylor that their family will remain intact. Lou Ann has grown more secure with herself and the decisions she makes, to a large degree because Taylor has empowered her to accept herself for who she is.
The novel ends with Taylor and Turtle heading back to Tucson, to their new home and family. The closing image is powerful in that Turtle acknowledges that they are going "home." Here, Turtle wholly accepts Taylor as her mother. To emphasize this point, Kingsolver has Turtle sing a song about vegetable soup that includes the names of people in her life, with Taylor as the "main ingredient." Kingsolver leaves very little doubt, if any, that Taylor will be a successful mother to Turtle, much like her own mother was to her. Note that the theme of going home here at the end of the novel balances the theme of departure at the beginning of the novel. Taylor has matured into a responsible woman who recognizes the interdependence of the varied people in her life.
