To Night Owl From Dogfish

The email exchange between Bett and Avery continues, with both girls still anticipating Bett and Marlow’s upcoming trip to New York. They discuss details of the plan to get their fathers back together, such as whether they should sing their favorite song to enhance the mood or play it on instruments.

The night before the play, Javier emails Marlow to introduce himself as a friend of Kristina’s who will be sitting with them. He says his first language is dance and asks (in Spanish) if it’s true Marlow speaks Spanish. He has met Gaga: Her Spanish was great, and so was she.

Bett forgets the instruments but makes it to the airport.

The day after the play, Bett emails Avery, saying the play was great and it was fun to see her. However, now they have a problem: Marlow is in Gaga’s apartment, and so is Javier. After the play, the two men went to the afterparty together and then out for a drink. They stayed up talking and walking around the city all night.

Javier emails Kristina confessing that he felt magic the moment he met Marlow. However, he does not know what to do because Marlow lives in California.

Bett accompanies Marlow to Javier’s apartment in Brooklyn, and the men cook pollo con arroz y frijoles. Bett enjoys her time with Javier but is concerned because this was not the plan. Avery reflects that everyone is happy except the girls: Kristina is pleased with the play’s reviews, Gaga is enjoying baklava with the doorman, Marlow is happy spending time with Javier, and Sam and Bob are probably happy somewhere as well.

Sam emails Marlow after the play; he had no idea they’d all be seated together. Clearly, the girls planned it, and it was awkward for Sam. However, it was “really something” to see the girls’ bond. Sam admits he isn’t proud of his behavior toward Marlow and finally apologizes. He praises Gaga’s performance and asks if Marlow wants to get coffee before heading back to California. Marlow was also impressed by the girls’ bond and apologizes to Sam. However, he doesn’t have time for coffee (partially because of Javier).

Still emailing Avery and reflecting on Kristina’s play, Bett says that people who want to raise children usually do the best job. Bett thinks she will probably want a family someday.

Kristina tells Avery that most artists work on something that “animates their soul” (215). Avery doesn’t know what animates her own soul and is no longer sure she wants to be a writer. Bett says what animates her soul is having a friend like Avery: They’re very different, but similar in ways that matter. Bett says that perhaps she’ll be a writer and Avery will be a doctor. Avery replies that the idea of Bett as her sister animates Avery’s soul.

Sam ends his relationship with Bob and is relieved to discover that Avery was only pretending to like him. Sam also eases up, meaning that Avery now gets to visit Kristina (and Gaga) twice a week instead of once a week. Avery reasons that now the only obstacle is Javier, but getting rid of him will be challenging because he is funny and an amazing dancer and cook. Marlow has started taking a ballet class, proving he is very interested in Javier.

The novel skips ahead two months to an email from Bett to Avery. Marlow and Javier are about to meet in Oklahoma. Bett once thought she, Avery, Sam, and Marlow might all live together there. The men end up having a great time on the trip. Javier plans to visit Marlow the next week, so Bett is being sent to a friend’s house for a sleepover on a school night.

Marlow suggests that maybe Bett could go to camp again this summer. She can’t return to CIGI because she was permanently expelled, but she could go to a different camp. Bett says she’d like to go if Avery goes too, but Marlow says they can’t go to the same camp. Bett asks Avery if they should both choose the same camp and just not tell their fathers. Avery agrees (Sam also forbids her from going to the same camp as Bett). Marlow says they might not be able to afford to send Bett to camp after all. However, Gaga earns extra money from the play and offers to pay for Bett to go to any summer camp she wants. She even promises not to tell Sam or Marlow if the girls choose the same camp. Gaga also continues to enjoy time with Dinos.

Avery creates a spreadsheet of summer camp options, considering factors like location, activities, and the presence of animals. To make sure their fathers won’t learn they’re together, the girls settle on a camp with no Family Day and no wi-fi: Camp Far View Tarn in Bannister, Maine. There are rustic cabins, hiking trails, horses, and a lot of traditions. Avery reasons that maybe a traditional camp is best; people always tell her she doesn’t live in a “traditional” home, even though Sam seems very traditional to her.

Marlow accepts a job in Brooklyn for the summer so he can be close to Javier while Bett is at camp. Bett worries that she and Marlow will have to move to Cuba someday, but Marlow says Javier will never move back there because he’s an exile.

The narrative skips forward two months. Bett emails Avery from the airport on her way to camp. Marlow dropped her off early—like the “man bun” he has grown to match Javier’s, this is part of the “new Marlow.” Avery is alone on the camp bus to Maine. She feels bad about lying to her father, even by omission. Most of the other girls on the bus have been “Tarnies” since they were seven, so everyone sits in the back, making Avery feel left out.

Mrs. Chessie Leonard, Camp Director of Far View Tarn, writes a letter to parents explaining that they can only contact their children by mail. Each girl is required to write two letters per week. She promises to return their children at the end of the summer as “fully formed Tarnies.”

Avery writes a letter to Sam that she asks him to copy and email to Kristina. She says she made a big mistake coming to Camp Far View Tarn: A “tarn” is a lake, and at the end of the summer, all campers must row in a canoe across the 11-mile lake. Avery never would have come here if she had known that. Her counselor, Jilly, is not listening to Avery’s concerns. She asks if Sam and/or Kristina can call the camp and get her out of canoeing. The only person who cares is “a very nice girl from somewhere out west” who is also a first-timer at this camp (240).

Avery writes again to Sam and Kristina; the camp staff would not let her call them. For the first couple days, Avery refused to get in a canoe, but Jilly said she had to. Luckily, she got to be in the same canoe as the nice girl, who doesn’t care if Avery only pretends to paddle.

Bett writes to Marlow. She didn’t read much about Far View Tarn before coming here. Everything is old school and there are a lot of rules, which the camp calls “traditions.” The biggest tradition is canoeing every day, but one girl is afraid of canoeing, and Bett feels bad for her. Most of the campers are nice, except one girl named Brielle. There are not many people of color at camp, and Bett is the only person in her cabin who hasn’t been to Europe.

Brielle writes a letter to her mother. She enjoyed the bus ride up because all the returning campers sat in the back and sang camp songs. There are two new girls who are friends with each other in her cabin. One is from New York and a “baby,” while the other is from California and thinks she’s cooler than everyone. Both of them have gay fathers, which makes no sense to Brielle. She asks if she can get a new phone when she gets home because everyone at camp has a better/newer phone than her and she’s embarrassed.

Sam writes Avery. He called Mrs. Leonard, who said the canoe situation is now under control. He asks Avery if this is true and says the nice girl in her cabin sounds great, so they should stick together. Kristina also writes Avery back; Mrs. Leonard told her the problem was solved.

Brielle’s mother writes to her. Brielle’s brother, Tyler, is at Camp Stone Point for boys across the lake and has a blistered ear after playing with a hot stick from roasting marshmallows. Brielle and Tyler’s mother is not telling their father about the ear: When he left the family, he chose not to know details about their lives anymore. As for the two girls with gay fathers, Brielle’s mother says she is the last person to care about how other people “choose” to live, but she does wonder about the “sorts” of kids that come to Far View Tarn nowadays.

Bett writes to Marlow. She has made some friends at camp but really dislikes Brielle. Yesterday, Bett overheard Brielle telling her friend Charlotte “having a gay dad probably damaged her” (248). Bett confronted them; they were embarrassed but claimed they were talking about a different girl who was at camp the previous year.

Gaga writes a letter that she copies to send to both Bett and Avery. She encourages Avery to be brave about canoeing. The play has moved to a bigger and fancier theater, which Kristina is thrilled about, but Gaga misses the old place. Dinos came to see the play; he attends plays and operas all the time. Marlow and Javier are getting along. Gaga hopes Bett is following the rules and that Avery is breaking a few.