Infinite Summer

Are they half-siblings or was he adopted? On page 50 it says CT was adopted, but later on page 64 it says CT is Avril's half-brother. There is another reference to them being half-siblings, but I've lost track of where it is.

At various points before the spoiler break, C.T. (aka Uncle Charles and Dr. Tavis) is referred to differently. Hal has called him all three. And it's been stated that C.T. is Himself's brother, making him Avril's "adoptive brother." It's also heavily implied (maybe even directly stated) that C.T. and Avril are having a relationship.

And, FYI via the Hamlet comparison, this is the very same relationship Hamlet finds his uncle (Dad's brother Claudius) and mother in at the start of Hamlet.

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First time reader.

Oh, I was just dropping the Hamlet thing in for a fun fact.

But I was also under the impression that referring to CT as Avril's "adoptive brother" is only a reference to that CT was her husband's brother and she had treated him as such. There was no actual adoption. I could be wrong, seeing as this is my first time through, but that's just what I figured.

ETA (which will be strange to use here):

OK. I appear wrong about the adoptive thing. p.63-65 clear some things up.

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First time reader.

Thank you to thelastbulgarian for this pdf. I originally got it from him.

I tried to add it as an attachment, but it says pdfs aren't allowed. Here's a Rapidshare link though.

http://rapidshare.com/files/248635567/T ... a.pdf.html

I'd always gotten the very firm impression that CT is connected via Avril's side of the family -- and very likely a close blood relation of hers -- and NOT Himself's, and that any uncertainties/discrepancies in the text are rooted in Avril & CT having been evasive/vague/contradictory whenever asked about their family connection.

Much more could be said about Avril, but while this section doesn't carry the explicit ban on spoilers, it would seem that it would be trafficked by first-time readers. So I'll refrain.

More very-late-in-the-novel spoiler: