Looking for Alibrandi: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

On the first Sunday of September, Mama and Josie have a fancy lunch at a harborside restaurant to celebrate the start of spring. Josie announces that Sydney is the most beautiful city, though Adelaide was also lovely. She tells Mama that Michael isn’t talking to her now after the walkathon debacle. Laughing, Mama says to remind him about the time he skipped school to see the Rolling Stones. Mama says she’s thrilled that Josie and Michael are getting to know each other. Josie admits that she’s surprised Mama isn’t more possessive of her, but Mama says Josie is old enough to make her own decisions—though she threatens to shoot Josie if she wants to move to Adelaide.

When the food comes, Mama sighs that she wishes she could’ve given Josie a better life. Josie laughs that she complains because she’s selfish, not because Mama’s a single parent—and she thinks their family is perfect. Then, Josie shares that Michael said Mama was sexy when they were young. Mama laughs that this is because Michael loved girls, but she becomes sad. She says she was a problem for him. She was terrified to face her father. Mama doesn’t know why Nonno treated her so poorly—or, for that matter, why he didn’t seem to love Nonna either. He always treated Nonna like he owed her something.

Josie asks why Mama never talks about Nonno. Mama admits that she used to pray that Zia Patrizia and Zio Ricardo were her parents, even though she’s always known that Nonna loves her. She says that Nonno forbade Zio Ricardo from taking Mama in when she got pregnant. Nonno called her names, hit her, and hit Nonna—and he never even met baby Josie. Mama can’t believe he thought other people’s opinions were more important than family. Josie says she’ll try harder to appreciate Mama’s sacrifices for her, but Mama assures Josie that Josie’s the only person who has loved her “properly.” She’s disrespectful like all kids are.

After lunch, Mama and Josie get ice cream and eat it on the pier. Josie tells Mama about Michael’s girlfriend and says that Michael didn’t sleep with her when Josie was visiting. This, she believes, means he doesn’t really love her. Mama suggests Josie leave Michael alone about his love life. Then, Josie says that Michael truly loved Mama. But Mama tells Josie that life isn’t a romance novel and people fall out of love all the time. Josie, however, wishes life was a romance novel. She thinks of her parents together and is glad that she’ll always be able to keep them connected, just because she’s their daughter.