“Looking for Alibrandi” is a contemporary novel about a 17 year old Catholic girl, Josephine Alibrandi, who was in her final year at school. Her life was turned upside down when her father came into her life for the first time, her close friend committed suicide, family secrets came out and she encountered love. During the course of the novel she had to deal with issues such as illegitimacy, racism and class differences at school.I will be focusing on the part of the novel when her father came into her life for the first time, and the way she reacted to this issue. Before Josie had even met her father, she hated him and blamed him for abandoning Christina and herself.

She hated the fact that she didn’t have a Father, especially because all the rich kids at her school punished her for it. She didn’t know her identity. She had no idea that her Mother didn’t tell Michael Andretti about falling pregnant seventeen years ago.Finally when the day came, when she would actually meet her Father, she was at her Nonna’s, having an argument with her Nonna about not having any respect.

The door bell rang and Michael, her Father was standing at the door. Josie very quickly realised that it was her long, lost father. All her thoughts about her father’s personality and physical features were crushed because he was the complete opposite. Nonna Katia pretended that she had no idea who he was, even though she knew many years ago.