To Night Owl From Dogfish

“If we really do have to go to this camp, we will just never speak to each other, which shouldn’t be hard because we don’t have anything in common and we don’t know each other at all. I guess if I could be any animal it would be a night owl.”

Avery and Bett bond, ironically, over planning how not to become friends with each other. They don’t realize this is occurring, insisting that they don’t know each other even as they share more and more about themselves. Here, for example, they explain which animal they would most like to be, illustrating that they actually do feel a connection to each other. This discussion of animals lays the foundation for the girls’ future code names for each other; closeness develops in stages over time.

“Marlow and I should have done more research (you know how much WE both like doing that, but not everyone is like us). Marlow is really a ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants’ kind of guy. Which is sometimes great. And sometimes, well, not so great.”

The differences between Marlow Devlin and Sam Bloom mirror the differences between Avery and Bett: The Blooms like research and planning, whereas the Devlins are spontaneous. In both relationships, the contrast is both a blessing and a curse. The problems caused by the fathers’ lack of research also foreshadow the problems caused by the girls’ lack of research into Camp Far View Tarn.

“Anyway, seeing as you’re Avery’s biological mom, this means that I’m going to be part of YOUR FAMILY now, too. I wouldn’t say you’re my stepmother because we haven’t met each other yet. But that’s why it would be great for you to COME TO CIGI ON FAMILY DAY!”

Bett’s view of family resembles a chain reaction: If Avery is to be her family, then Kristina will be her family by proxy. The relationship that develops between Bett and Kristina is one of the novel’s many examples of The Diversity of Family Structures and Found Family. This quote also illustrates Bett’s boldness, which can be off-putting, but it also facilitates Kristina’s reunion with her daughter.

“I’m glad we decided it’s okay to hang out. But of course that doesn’t mean we’re friends or sisters or that we’re going to agree to anything about the future. xo Night Owl.”

Even once she starts signing her emails with “XO,” symbolizing hugs and kisses, Avery still claims Bett is not her friend. This demonstrates that, as Avery later says, people are not reliable narrators of their own lives. The epistolary form allows characters to reveal their true feelings to the reader while failing to recognize those feelings themselves. This is an example of dramatic irony: a gap between the reader’s understanding and the character’s understanding.

“At the word ‘Mom,’ Avery breaks. Her expression goes wobbly and she begins to cry. I rush over and pull her into my arms, and she’s suddenly hugging me back. Both of us are now crying. And then Bett joins in, but doesn’t cry. And then we’re all hugging, and we’re all talking like people with a lifetime of stories to tell.”

Avery is upset when Bett violates her privacy but ultimately thankful to reunite with Kristina. Bett acts as a link between mother and daughter, first coordinating the meeting, then getting Avery to calm down and accept her mother, and finally in a literal embrace. Bett is thus linked familially to Kristina and Avery in ways that do not depend on Sam and Marlow’s romantic relationship.

“Avery Bloom is off camp property and with her biological mother, Ms. Kristina Allenberry, who was not listed on the emergency form but who is clearly in the first circle of relation. Bett Devlin is off premises, too, and is now with Betty Devlin, her grandmother (and listed emergency contact).”

Director Daniel’s makeshift policy regarding Kristina illustrates his personal ideas about what makes a “family” and develops the theme of Tradition, Change, and Acceptance. Because Kristina is Avery’s biological mother, he has no problem releasing Avery into her custody, even though she’s not on the emergency form. By contrast, Daniel does not think it’s acceptable to do the same with Bett, who knows Kristina about as well as Avery does at this point, because there is no biological relation. The main characters in the novel have a more expansive definition of family.

“At first I was so angry with Bett for breaking the cone of privacy. But then I saw that what makes her great is that she doesn’t look at the world the way most people do. Instead, she figures things out in her own way. Sometimes that’s a problem (zip line), but sometimes it’s life changing, like today, which is why I’m with Kristina at the Seelocken Institute right now.”

Avery’s analysis of Bett is similar to Sam’s analysis of Marlow, except that Avery is looking more on the positive side than Sam now is. Avery uses a metaphor to describe her emotions and her secrecy: The “cone of privacy” is something Avery “built” around the topic of her mother to protect herself. Now Bett has “broken” that—without Avery’s permission—but ultimately Avery appreciates the result.

“Do you have a date yet? It would help if you could get it to us ASAP. Obviously Bett and I know we’re part of the wedding party. Does that mean we’ll get to be flower girls? We might be sort of old for that. Gaga (Bett’s grandma) says you’re never too old to get a special moment going down the aisle. I think she wants to be a flower girl, too, which is sort of crazy, but maybe she could be a flower older woman, and then Bett and I could be the ones to give you guys away?”

The girls are so excited about the wedding that they have started to put their own needs first, more concerned about how this will affect them than their fathers. Meanwhile, they have ignored the signs that their fathers’ relationship isn’t doing well. This quote shows that the friendship between Bett and Avery is now irreversible, but it also illustrates their immaturity: Part of The Process of Growing Up is recognizing others’ needs, including those of one’s parents.

“Bett is growing up so fast. And Avery (looks like she’ll be my new grandchild!) has warmed up to me in a big way. She’s a good influence on Bett, who can be a wild and difficult child. Avery tries to put the brakes on at all times. She’s got plenty of fears and she’s a first-class worrier like an old lady, but she’s smart and makes me laugh. Even though she’s from a big city, she’s not too full of herself. They make a great team.”

Gaga sees the differences between Bett and Avery as a strength. The novel repeatedly raises this question of whether opposites attract, and it turns out that it can go either way: The differences between the girls’ fathers ultimately led their relationship to fall apart, but the girls’ differences make them a good team. The passage also demonstrates that Gaga has embraced Avery as a surrogate granddaughter, further expanding the definition of family.

“[Kristina] now knows that the moment she said ‘Okay’ she had made the biggest mistake of her life. If she could turn back the hands of time + change anything, that would be the ONE thing she would do. She said that signing over custody of you broke her heart.”

Bett behaves somewhat inappropriately when she reveals these secrets to Avery about her “origin.” However, it is Bett’s recklessness that allows Avery to embrace the truth and bond further with her own family.

“This is super upsetting and I feel like I’ve been looking through a keyhole of a door into a room that is my own life, and before now I could only see some of it.”

Avery is upset by the news about Kristina and Sam’s past, but ultimately it helps her see the truth more fully. The metaphor of a keyhole suggests Avery has “unlocked” something that will allow her to transform or learn who she truly is. The novel implies that keeping secrets from children to “protect” them does not work forever: They have to know where they came from to learn where they want to go.

“Does this mean our dads won’t ever be husbands? They won’t get married? There won’t be a wedding? Is it really possible we’ll never know what our lives would’ve been like all together as a family? […] Nothing was missing before in my life, but now it will be. You will be. Night Owl and Dogfish won’t ever be together. That just can’t be true.”

This quote reveals that the girls are still hung up on traditional definitions of “family” but also foreshadows that Dogfish and Night Owl will constitute a family. The code names have earned new meaning: More than just nicknames for friends, these names now signify the type of sister that Avery and Bett are to each other.

“I still want you in my family no matter what happens with your dad and Sam. This summer gave me back my daughter, Avery. You set that in motion […] All families have broken parts, so that makes us like everyone else, special in our own messy way. Love from the mother of your chosen sister, which makes you another daughter of mine.”

Despite her “unrealistic” view of the world, Kristina is full of wisdom about chosen family and guides the girls to the idea that they can still be sisters without their fathers marrying. Kristina’s claim that Bett is another “daughter” of hers is especially significant since Bett does not have a mother figure.

“I didn’t even know her before the summer + I didn’t want her for a friend (I had enough friends + she didn’t seem like friend material) + now I can’t imagine not having her as part of everything.”

Avery and Bett transform from strangers, to pen pals, to friends, to sisters, to sisters so close they have code names for each other. Both are surprised at how quickly this happens and how irreversible it feels.

“I may be on the other side of the country, but I’m there for you […] I’m basically your crisis hotline.”

Bett had fun with Avery at camp, but here she demonstrates that she’s also willing to go through tough times with her. Additionally, the subject line (“spying”—i.e., on their fathers) indicates that Bett and Avery now see themselves as a team; before, they saw Avery and Sam as one team, and Bett and Marlow as a different team.

“My friend Angel has divorced parents + for a while they were doing the weekly ‘hand-off’ (that’s what they call it) in the police station parking lot, which was super awkward. But my friend Zoe also has divorced parents + they all go on vacation to Hawaii together + stay in the same condo. So there’s lots of ways to do it. Some are just way easier on kids.”

This demonstrates the diverse family situations that exist even among families that appear to be “the same.” Not all divorced families are the same, just like not all gay parents are the same.

“Gay people having families doesn’t seem like something anyone should have to shout about anymore. Some people are a lot more interested in raising kids than other people. From what I can see, the person most interested usually does the best job.”

This quote reveals more of Bett’s philosophy about what makes a (good) family. Orientation does not indicate whether someone will be a good parent or not; interest and dedication do.

“Maybe you’ll be a doctor and I’ll be a writer. I’d probably write books about animals + kids. When you think about it, doctors + writers aren’t that different. They both have to care about living things in order to be any good at their job.”

Bett and Avery often observe that they’re not actually that different. This quote notes an underlying similarity between two seemingly opposing professions. It also illustrates how roles can switch suddenly (Avery used to want to be a writer but is now unsure about this path).

“A very traditional summer camp could be right for us. After all, everyone tells us we don’t live in ‘traditional’ households even though my papa is about as conventional as they come. A lot of people don’t realize a dad is a dad is a dad.”

Avery grapples with the meaning of tradition. She feels that her father, although gay, is more “conventional” than most. Although she has a slight aversion to the word because of its possible anti-gay connotations, she is now reconsidering the value of tradition.

“You wrote about the two new girls and said they both have gay dads. I am certainly the last person to care about how other people choose to live. But I’m wondering now about the sorts of kids who are coming to Far View Tarn these days. It used to be different.”

As a remark from Brielle’s mother, this quote gives context for Brielle’s anti-gay remarks: She likely learned the attitude from her parents. The quote also shows the downside of tradition, as Brielle’s mother expresses nostalgia for a more prejudiced era.

“I mean, what do we really have in common? Once we had our dads, but that’s over. I know you like Gaga, but she’s MY GRANDMOTHER, not yours. I don’t want to sound rude, but Avery I can’t be there all the time to protect you from the world. It’s sort of a full-time job.”

Bett begins to feel possessive about her own family; she also resents being the only person around to support Avery. Ironically, Avery will soon protect Bett by saving her life—something this quote foreshadows.

“I think it’s not bad to have a blowup with someone you really care about. Once that happens, you can be even closer. Maybe because sharing bad things as well as good things means you're in it for real. That’s what being honest with someone does.”

Avery believes her disagreement with Bett brought them closer. She reasons that if someone sticks around after an argument, they must really care. In fact, Avery herself saved Bett’s life even though they were fighting at the time.

“I’m going to see my mom and I’ll also see Gaga. It’s weird that I just typed mom instead of Kristina. Wow.”

Throughout the novel, Kristina has been referred to as Avery’s “biological mother,” and Avery has always called her Kristina. This change to calling her “mom” illustrates how far Avery has come in accepting Kristina. The epistolary form allows Avery to comment on her language choices as they unfold.