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Steven
Belly and Steven’s dad lives in an apartment in Boston. He’s a college professor, and he and Mom divorced soon after Belly discovered that he was having affairs with at least one of his PhD students. He took his cat, Claude, when he moved out, something that greatly affected Belly. Though Belly loves her dad, she’s hurt by his betrayal and wishes he’d ask her what she really wants, such as nicer sheets for her bed at his apartment and to stop burning incense (to which she’s allergic). Still, Belly blames Mom for the divorce much more than she blames Dad. Belly loves summers in part because she doesn’t have to either speak to Dad or call him while she’s in Cousins.
Dad Quotes in The Summer I Turned Pretty
The The Summer I Turned Pretty quotes below are all either spoken by Dad or refer to Dad. 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:
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Chapter 26 Quotes
After she went to bed, early, Conrad said to me, conversationally, “They’re getting a divorce.”
“Who?” I said.
“My parents. It’s about time.”
Jeremiah glared at him. “Shut up, Conrad.”
Conrad shrugged. “Why? You know it’s true. Belly’s not surprised, are you, Belly?”
I was. I was really surprised. I said, to both of them, “I thought they seemed like they were really in love.”
Whatever love was, I was sure they had it. I thought they had it a million times over. The way they gazed at each other at the dinner table, how excited Susannah got when he came to the summer house. I didn’t think people like that got divorced. People like my parents got divorced. Not Susannah and Mr. Fisher.
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Dad Character Timeline in The Summer I Turned Pretty
The timeline below shows where the character Dad appears in The Summer I Turned Pretty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
The next morning, Mom insists that Belly call Dad—Steven will see him later in the summer when Dad takes Steven on a college tour,...
(full context)
Chapter 11, Age 9
...hearts. Mom and Susannah argue over whether Belly is more like Mom or like her dad, and Belly can tell the adults know something she doesn’t. When Susannah then addresses the...
(full context)
Chapter 12
...uptight. He always gives the kids money when they go somewhere, and Conrad treated his dad like Mr. Fisher was his hero for a really long time. Belly stopped seeing her...
(full context)
Throughout the school year, Belly and Steven spend weekends with Dad at his apartment. The apartment stinks of mildew and the incense that Dad continues to...
(full context)
Chapter 19
It’s already time for Steven to leave so he and Dad can go on their college tour road trip. Belly is sad that he’s going: he’s...
(full context)
Chapter 29
...him to play—and asks why Belly quit dancing. In reality, Belly quit because Mom and Dad were divorcing, she wasn’t having fun, and she was embarrassed of her breasts. But she...
(full context)
Chapter 41, Age 12
...so he and Belly are in the basement, watching movies. Bitterly, Jeremiah says that his dad likes Conrad best and is a jerk. Privately, Belly agrees, but you’re not supposed to...
(full context)
Chapter 43
When Belly was little and Dad and Mr. Fisher would come to Cousins, she shared a bed with Jeremiah, and Conrad...
(full context)
