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Libby is Charlotte’s daughter and Alec’s younger sister. Alec finds Libby irritating and mostly bickers with her, though toward the end of his narrative he realizes that she is still important to him; as long as Libby is alive, he’ll never be alone. Although Libby is present in much of Alec’s narrative, she says and does very little, playing a very minor role.
Libby Quotes in Nine Days
The Nine Days quotes below are all either spoken by Libby or refer to Libby. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 8: Alec Quotes
When me and Libby were little, Grandpa [Kip] was in charge of all the dad stuff. He took photos of us, hundreds of them. He still has them over at their apartment at the retirement village. He was the one who taught us to play poker and took us to the football.
Related Characters:
Alec Westaway (speaker), Kip Westaway , Libby
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
218
Explanation and Analysis:
Alec recalls how, in lieu of a conventional father figure, Kip stepped up to fulfill the fatherly duties, even when it required him to take time away from his own work. Although Alec previously lamented the fact that neither he nor Libby truly knows their fathers, his remembrance of Kip operating as their effective father figure suggests that he now appreciates his grandfather’s love just as well. Although unconventional, and in Alec’s eyes perhaps not ideal, Kip’s role as Alec and Libby’s father figure demonstrates that in an unconventional family structure, individuals can adapt and take on new roles and responsibilities to fulfill other family members physical or emotional needs. Although Kip is their grandfather and not their father, Alec and Libby still are able to have a fatherly figure in their lives to provide the sort of paternal guidance and affirmation that their mother may not know how to give. Furthermore, the love that Kip obviously has for his family, and Alec’s stated love for Kip, suggest that although unconventional, their family is no less loving or valuable.
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Libby Character Timeline in Nine Days
The timeline below shows where the character Libby appears in Nine Days. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: Alec
When Alec gets home, his sister Libby is standing in the kitchen cleaning silverware. She yells to her mom that Alec is...
(full context)
...to help all the time because she and Charlotte are afraid that if he or Libby are ever left alone with any unanswered questions, they’ll suddenly realize they have two “smother...
(full context)
...Although Kip and Annabel speak positively of Charlotte’s vegan casserole, nobody eats much. Frank tells Libby about how the whole family used to live in this house, and then just himself...
(full context)
...that house and how they all know exactly who they are, except for he and Libby who only half-know on account of their absent fathers. When Alec opens the car door...
(full context)
...seems now, and thinks back on the way that Kip stood in for his and Libby’s father throughout their childhood, performing all the fatherly duties. After Kip’s kissed everyone goodbye, Stanzi...
(full context)
As Libby, Charlotte, and Alec are about to go to bed, they all notice that Kip has...
(full context)
...holds the photo in both hands. While Kip is talking, Alec thinks about how, although Libby annoys him, he’d never want to lose her: “While Libby is alive, I know I’ll...
(full context)
