Towards the end of the novel, when Alison is in college, she and her dad strike up this quasi-relationship built on their mutual interest (or, his interest and her assignment) of a number of popular novels. This”relationship” struck me as very odd. In fact, I put “relationship” in quotation marks because I’m not sure if that’s what you’d call it.

As Alison grew up, she and her dad had nothing in common. He wanted her to dress a certain way she didn’t like, she hated his hyper-controlling nature that loomed over the house. They would later find out that they had a connection of sorts in both being homosexuals, but that didn’t prove to be something they really grasped at to strengthen their relationship. So, they bonded (sorta) over books. Even during this bonding, Bruce continues to be the over-bearing father (“You damn well better identify with every page”). Alison continues to feel oppressed by his controlling ways (“His excitement left little room for my own…by the end of the year I was suffocating”). 

Even during this newfound connection that bridged (you know, one of those shaky, rope bridges over top of a lava pit) the huge gap that was Ali and Bruce’s relationship, their foundation as father and daughter never really changed.

Respondents: Do you think there was ever a chance for Alison and Dad? Does anyone believe that there was more of an emotional connection during this period…something I missed?