Noelle thanks her father for being "the voice that understands there are things you can't know." What makes David such a likable character?

He is non-judgmental, accepts people for what and who they are, and observes boundaries.

David is such a solid, together person. He is okay with himself and that makes able to accept others as they are. He and Thisbe were my favorite people in this book -- and actually the only ones I liked at all.

He puts others first. He tries to get along with everyone. He tries to help others.

I thought that David just kind of went with the flow -- he didn't cause problems and he didn't make a big issue out of his feelings. He had suffered the loss of a son and had to be very sad but he had picked himself up and gone on with his life unlike his wife who seemed to be wallowing in her grief.

I also admire David for not acting like a victim. He wasn't going to be bullied by his wife, nor was he going to try to stay in a relationship where he wasn't wanted.

I agree with beckyh about David and Thisbe being the most, and perhaps only, likeable characters in the book. However, in his own way David could be a passive agressive personality. There is enough blame to go around for this family. I can only imagine what it was like to gather around the Thanksgiving table.

I wanted to hug David, to slow him down long enough to encourage him to let everything out. I really think had he been more forthcoming, sharing his grief with those who loved him, he would have felt somewhat better. But, again, each person grieves differently. It's just interesting how shut off David was, yet I liked him so much.

I don't think that David was as fully drawn as the rest of the family, but I thought of him as a victim
in the midst of this family of women. While I know it's not uncommon for divorce to be a result of the loss of a child this seems to have come out of nowhere. In a cast of characters that were not the most likeable, I have to agree with Retired Reader NE that he and Thisbe were the most likeable. For sure, he seemed to be the most rock solid

David was my favorite character in the book. I felt so sorry for him and was hoping that his wife would wise up and reconsider.

David: wise, kind, compassionate, patient, turn the other cheek kind of guy...extremely intelligent probably..but easily dominated...but I feel he was an anchor or the stability when everything else seemed to be coming unhinged.