--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This…" description: "\"'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This relationship was not too good, the father and son. This time around, I wanted a father and a son who really l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/per-petterson-8468_around_in-the-wake-was-a-very-bleak-book-this-r_974553.png" --- # 'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This relationship was… ![“'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This relationship was not too good, the father and son. This time around, I wanted a father and a son who really loved each other, which would be visible on the first page and would still be there on the last page.” quote by Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/per-petterson-8468_around_in-the-wake-was-a-very-bleak-book-this-r_974553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/per-petterson-8468_around_in-the-wake-was-a-very-bleak-book-this-r_974553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/per-petterson-8468_around_in-the-wake-was-a-very-bleak-book-this-r_974553.png) > “'In the Wake' was a very bleak book. This relationship was not too good, the father and son. This time around, I wanted a father and a son who really loved each other, which would be visible on the first page and would still be there on the last page.” [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on a desire for a loving father‑son bond that is evident from start to finish, contrasting with bleak earlier portrayals. **In simple terms:** Seeks a clear, loving father‑son relationship throughout a story. Key Takeaway Craft narratives that show consistent love and growth. Themes family relationships love growth literature Mood hopeful reflective empathetic Type literary emotional When to use this quote - parenting advice - book clubs - creative writing workshops - therapy sessions Key Concepts character development emotional resonance narrative structure Questions to Reflect On - Can a story be both realistic and consistently loving? - How does early portrayal affect reader expectations? A Different Perspective Idealized relationships may overlook realistic conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father and son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-and-son/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [In the book the relationship with Katharine and Almasy is sort of only in the patient's mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/in-the-book-the-relationship-with-katharine-and-almasy-is-sort-of/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [But mostly, it's a book about my relationship with my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/but-mostly-it-s-a-book-about-my-relationship-with-my-father/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [reading is a private act, private even from the person who wrote the book. 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I tucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/dad-yeah-could-you-tell-me-a-story-sure-a-good-one-as-opposed-to-all/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [My dad - I mean, we've had our ups and downs, you know, just like any father and son probably has. But, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-jandreau/my-dad-i-mean-we-ve-had-our-ups-and-downs-you-know-just-like-any/) [Brady Jandreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-jandreau/) > [Frank Capra was a prop man, I think. John Ford was a prop man. 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They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/when-my-mother-talked-about-her-brother-there-was-this-light-in-her/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“But life had shifted its weight from one point to another, from one leg to the other, like a silent giant in the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/but-life-had-shifted-its-weight-from-one-point-to-another-from-one/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“All my life I have longed to be alone in a place like this. 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That is who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-write-about-families-that-is-who-we-are/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“...the young swans as big as their parents now, but still grey and it looks peculiar, like two different species swimming in a line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/the-young-swans-as-big-as-their-parents-now-but-still-grey-and-it/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) [Explore all 79 Per Petterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## More Around quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. 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