Trisha's parents

[tashabunny]

I was nine, the same age as Trisha when i read the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon about ten years ago. It was my first Stephen King book and i loved it dearly. I'm sorry if someone already discussed it, but i searched and found nothing about it. Trisha had a dysfunctional family and that was something I enjoyed reading about because it was easy to relate.

One thing that always bothered me was on page ninety two, when it says her divorced parents Quilla and Larry have sex the night that Trisha goes missing when they are at the hotel. Maybe it was because I was a little kid and it was a bit too mature for me to be reading. I realize they were both heartbroken about their daughter and seeking comfort in each other since they used to be in love, but the way they had those last thoughts before going to sleep just really made me angry, I felt like they weren't thinking about Trisha at all and only her older brother was as concerned as family should be. My question is: Did this bother you at all? Do you think Stephen King wrote it like this to make her parents seem more unlikable? I just can't tell if it still bothers me now because it should, or because it left a big impression from the first time reading it.

[Stillreading]

Not to be flippant, but it seems that very often tragedy is mitigated by sex -- it's a coping mechanism. I'm no scientist, but on some level I think there is an instinct to create life in the face of death (or in this story potential death), and, let's face it, sex is about as intense/pleasurable a human experience as there is, and it works well for a lot of people as a temporary distraction from all kinds of things. As it relates to this story, there is also the pre-existing relationship between Quilla and Larry, and there is comfort in familiarity, sexual or otherwise.

[Stillreading]

I'd like to add that I just finished this book last night for the first time and I'm a few years past nine at this point, so my opinion is not complicated by the bewilderment that plagues children when trying to understand "adult" matters, as, perhaps, it was for you when you first read the novel and were still so susceptible to impressionable images. In other words, it didn't bother me. Nor did it make me feel anything for Trisha's parents one way or the other.

[ginapenn]

It didn't bother me at all, in fact it made them feel more real. Adults are plagued with so many other worries and distractions in life and kids tend to focus on one intense thing and then brood over it. Even times of crisis are not going to stop Trisha's parents from being themselves. They're self-centered parents, there's no doubt about that but I truly believe that they were concerned about the well being of their little girl. Sex is great for distracting your brain (even temporarily) and relieving stress. Especially with an old lover; that's when the pressure's off.

Hope this helps.