San Diego, Senior Year (pp. 77-80) Summary

Sarah asks Cindy for permission to attend a distant rock concert with her boyfriend and then spend the night with a group of friends in a hotel room. Her mother refuses to give permission, and looks to Chuck for backup. When Chuck agrees with Cindy, Sarah explodes with anger and emotion, noting that he is not her father, and runs out of the house. Steve is confused but decides to remain uninvolved in the exchange.

San Diego, Senior Year (pp. 77-80) Analysis

Sarah is typically very levelheaded and personable. Her outburst at the table, directed at Chuck, is uncharacteristically confrontational for her and foreshadows later developments in the novel. The apparently innocuous rock concert also sets up a series of events that will dominate Steve's life over the coming months, which ironically contrasts...