Al is a kindly trucker whose chance meeting with Caroline Gill on the fateful night of Phoebe’s birth transcends time and distance, and eventually blossoms into a romance and marriage. Al is patient, steadfast, and devoted to both Caroline and Phoebe. Though Caroline constantly worries that Al will become frustrated by Phoebe or the demands she makes on Caroline’s time, Al is nothing but supportive, and he has an enormous amount of love for both Caroline and her daughter.
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Albert “Al” Simpson Character Timeline in The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
The timeline below shows where the character Albert “Al” Simpson appears in The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: March 1964
...for the company of this man, whose name, she learns as they drive on, is Albert Simpson, or Al. Caroline is doubly grateful that Al knows nothing about her—or her precarious...
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Back at her apartment complex, Al helps Caroline bring her things inside from the truck. She can see one of her...
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In the morning, Caroline wakes to the smell of bacon frying—Al is making breakfast in the kitchen. Phoebe is still asleep, and Caroline makes small talk...
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Chapter 6: March 1965
...when he opens his mouth and calls out to her, she realizes who it is: Al. Surprised, shocked, but not unhappy to see him, Caroline asks Al how he managed to...
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Al explains that after he stopped in Lexington to say hello and found Caroline’s apartment empty,...
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Caroline invites Al in to have a cup of tea and see Phoebe. He sits in the kitchen...
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Chapter 10: June 1970
...which the Society is arguing that their children should be mainstreamed. Doro asks Caroline if Al is coming this weekend, and Caroline admits she doesn’t know. Doro teases Caroline about being...
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...at home, Phoebe plays on the lawn while Caroline sits on the porch, waiting for Al to arrive. When he walks up to the house, Phoebe shouts in glee and greets...
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Al hands Caroline some mail he’s picked up for her from a P.O. box in Atlanta—it...
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As a song comes on the radio and wafts outside from the house, Al asks Caroline if she’d like to go dancing sometime. Caroline replies, “Why wait,” and invites...
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...hand begins to swell. Caroline realizes that Phoebe is having a reaction, and she and Al hurriedly lift her into the car and rush her to the hospital.
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When they arrive, Al lifts Phoebe onto a gurney while Caroline tells a nearby nurse that Phoebe is having...
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After a doctor arrives and halts Phoebe’s reaction, Caroline and Al sit together in the waiting room holding hands. Caroline shakily remarks that Phoebe could have...
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Chapter 14: September 1977
...that Caroline, Phoebe, and their extended family are celebrating to day: Phoebe’s confirmation, Caroline and Al’s wedding anniversary, and Doro’s retirement—she is leaving soon to travel the world with her new...
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...Phoebe that Doro is allergic, and Phoebe’s mercurial temper threatens to explode. To calm her, Al suggests they get the kitten a dish of cream. As they walk away together, Caroline...
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After Doro and Trace leave, Caroline and Al sit together on the porch, and Caroline tells Al that Doro has given them the...
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Al tells Caroline that Phoebe is growing up—she’s thirteen, and soon she’ll want more independence. Al...
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Caroline says that she wants to talk to Al about a letter she received this week—a letter from Phoebe’s father. Caroline describes the letter,...
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Chapter 15: April 1982
...her loom through the downstairs window. She thinks about the life they’ve built together with Al—and is surprised to see him, too, through the window. He’s come home early from a...
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Chapter 19: July 1988
...Norah—but at the last moment, as he approached the house and saw Phoebe, Caroline, and Al through the front window, he knew he couldn’t disrupt their family. He got back in...
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Chapter 21: November 1988
Caroline is riding the bus with Al, Phoebe, and Phoebe’s boyfriend Robert—another boy with a developmental disability who joyfully greets all the...
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At their stop, Caroline realizes that Al has nodded off. She shakes him awake, and they all disembark the bus. Caroline expresses...
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At the day center, the dance is in full swing. Al and Caroline join Robert and Phoebe on the dance floor. Phoebe spends time at the...
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...that people are allowed to kiss the ones they love—she points out that Caroline and Al kiss often, and reminds Caroline that she wants to marry Robert. Caroline tells Phoebe that...
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That night, at home, Caroline tells Al about her conversation with Phoebe. They fret about what to do about her burgeoning sexuality...
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Al reads the letter, and suggests the two of them go together to the firm to...
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In the morning, Caroline makes breakfast for her and Al. He suggests the two of them try taking a trip alone soon, leaving Phoebe with...
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...Phoebe home. When they arrive, the phone is ringing. Caroline picks it up—and learns that Al has driven off the road and been involved in an accident. He is in the...
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Al comes home after two days in the hospital. He is a terrible patient, and as...
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...they’re for, he tells her that it’s Saturday—she realizes that Saturday is usually the day Al comes home from his long haul, with flowers and a gift in hand. Caroline realizes...
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Caroline hears Al calling for her, and goes up to check on him. She asks him how his...
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Chapter 24: September 1, 1989
...cake, and “lots and lots of pink flowers.” Paul thinks of Phoebe’s parents, Caroline and Al, who have left her here for the weekend while they take their first real vacation...
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