Song for My Father" dramatises the complex losses in the life of a child whose parents fail to protect her from their own rage and sense of failure. The novel's rhythms are at times deliberately fragmented and halting, mirroring the broken and hesitant spirit of its narrator. Helpless in the face of her parents' battles, Sarah turns to fantasy for escape. Their persistent conflicts, however, continue to shape her responses to life As an adult, she unconsciously engineers the collapse of any chance for personal happiness. Ironically, it is a sudden mysterious and traumatic disappearance which saves' the protagonist. This major crisis proves to be the catalyst for a liberating epiphany and healing catharsis, and the final flight from darkness.