The narrative follows a father, Ivor, and his daughter, Orla, as they visit the mother's parents in the country. Ivor experiences a deep connection with Orla due to her curiosity, which he sees as boyish. This dynamic contrasts with the controlling nature of Orla's grandfather and the submissive demeanor of her grandmother, presenting a generational gap that affects Ivor and Orla. The father grapples with his memories of masculinity since the death of his own father, exploring themes of affection and repression within familial relationships.
The grandfather is controlling and dominating; the grandmother doting and submissive. This is something that finally repulses Ivor, and that Orla also grapples with.
Ivor decides that Orla's curiosity is a boyish quality, and this plays into his slight regret that he has had no son.
This is a very underrepresented relationship in fiction, and it is hard for me to know how fathers see their daughters.
Since my father's death, in 2016, I have been thinking about good men and about the less good men they sometimes admire.
Collection
[
|
...
]