A Family Matter

Dawn lived in the same village all her life up to the age of 23. She had a very conventional upbringing. She was quiet and reserved, and she typically sought out the company of bolder girls at school. After school, she went straight on to work rather than attending college or exploring the world; she has never been anywhere on her own. She lived in the family home until she got married to Heron at about age 20. She got married not because she was in love but because it was simply the traditional thing to do—it was the only kind of life she could envision. When she and Heron had a child, Maggie, Dawn felt for the first time that she mattered and was needed.

This family life continues until Dawn’s chance meeting with Hazel at the jumble sale. Hazel ignites in Dawn feelings that Dawn has not experienced before; she feels fully alive for the first time highlighting The Hidden Complexities of Seemingly Ordinary Lives. She has always known internally that she was drawn to women rather than men, and meeting Hazel liberates her to become the person she has always been inside. Dawn instinctively knows this is her best and perhaps only chance to live a full, emotionally rich life. 

She pays a heavy price, however, when she realizes that her husband is unwilling to understand her perspective or forgive her affair. Her story highlights The Impact of Institutional Oppression. She must endure a humiliating court hearing in which she is declared to be an unfit mother because she is a lesbian, and as a result, she loses custody of her daughter. Her story portrays the harsh and unfair treatment faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s, as well as how far-reaching the impacts of this structural prejudice was. However, she shows immense resilience and sets up a life with Hazel, and 40 years later, they are still living happily together. Eventually, thanks to Maggie’s persistence, Dawn is reunited with her daughter.

Maggie is the daughter of Heron and Dawn. and her parents divorced when she was three years old. She was raised by her father, with help from her grandmother. After her grandmother died when Maggie was 12, however, the tiny family consisted entirely of Maggie and her father. She was raised knowing nothing about her mother. She cannot say she missed her, though, since she was never spoken about. Maggie just remembers one occasion when her father said that if others asked, she was to say that her mother got a job abroad or ran off with another man. This alludes to how avoidant Heron was with the truth, leaving Maggie in the dark throughout her life.

Maggie has made a successful life for herself, marrying Conor and having two children, Tom and Olivia. She is the opposite of Dawn, sticking with her relatively normal life even when she grows bored of it, a difficulty she has expressed to Conor. She dedicates herself to ensuring the smooth running of the family, and she remains close to her father and relies on his help in fixing anything in her house that is not working properly. Her experiences highlight The Hidden Complexities of Seemingly Ordinary Lives. She wants to repay him for the years he spent looking after her, and despite their parallel discomfort in discussing tense topics, it’s clear how they have a close and earnest relationship. 

When the primary conflicts of the novel occur, however, she finds that she cannot talk to him any more than he can talk to her about it. She has trouble dealing with his illness, something he considered telling her through a Post-it Note. In a similar fashion, when Maggie discovers that he’s been lying about her mother, she leaves a document proving so with his Christmas gift rather than directly confronting him. She decides to overcome her avoidant tendencies after realizing that her father has no regrets about his actions, and she realizes The Importance of Open Communication for Healing. She finds her mother and finally has the open conversation she’s needed, and the hard discussion brings the sense of peace and fulfillment she’s been seeking.

Conor is Maggie’s husband, and they have two children, Tom and Olivia. They met at university and are happily married. Maggie loves her husband, and they only have occasional quarrels. Conor takes his role as husband and father seriously and looks after the family. He takes charge of the children whenever necessary, and he is always reliable. When the children were very young, he would change their diapers and push the stroller. 

He is practical and efficient, with a clearly defined idea of what the role of father is, including such niceties as carving meat, paying in restaurants, and maintaining the family car. When Maggie expresses her boredom in her marriage, he participates in date nights and seeks to satisfy her needs—something that directly contrasts Heron’s reaction to Dawn expressing her needs decades ago.

Hazel is Dawn’s partner. They are about the same age—Dawn is 23 when they meet—and their partnership survives the turmoil surrounding Dawn’s divorce. Hazel is more bold, outgoing, talkative, and confident than her friend. She is the one who first strikes up a conversation with Dawn at the church jumble sale. Hazel is more experienced than Dawn in many respects, and she comes from a higher social class. She attended teacher training college and is about to start her second teaching job. Unlike Dawn, she has traveled abroad, hitchhiking through Greece during vacations. Also, Hazel is aware of and comfortable with her sexual orientation; she has had a number of relationships with women before she meets Dawn. 

The attraction she feels toward Dawn, however, is stronger than what she has experienced with anyone in the past. She fully understands the difficulties that will arise if she continues in the new relationship, and she considers pulling out of it at one point, but she is unable to do so. She convinces herself that they will have a chance of success, despite the social disapproval they would encounter. Forty years later, they are still together, happily living in a small house by the sea.

Tom is the 14-year-old son of Maggie and Conor. Tall and confident, he is often at odds with his mother. They argue about small things. Tom does not enjoy listening to her chatter and likes to make fun of her. He envisions a bigger, more expansive life for himself than what he observes in the family home. Although Tom often patronizes her, Maggie understands that it is natural for him to want to pull away from his mother at his age. There are also some quieter, affectionate moments between them, which they both enjoy.