If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever? (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Marijane Meaker
- First Published: 1973
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, 1970’s, Family or family life, Teenagers, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Gender roles, High schools or high school students, Coaching or coaches
- Locales: Syracuse, New York
In If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever?, high school athlete Alan Bennett is complacent about his relatively easy life, particularly since he has just started going steady with the popular and attractive Leah. He is completely unprepared for the arrival of Duncan Stein, a half-Jewish student whose parents open an alcoholism rehabilitation center on the outskirts of Alan's small hometown. Utilizing a first-person, past-tense narrative from Alan's point of view, the novel immediately creates suspense when Alan states that “unforeseen clouds are gathering in the distance,” thus...
[The entire page is 526 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
