The father never did. However, despite the snubbing, the son felt no anger towards his dad when they eventually met later in life; he was angry with the person in the past. And the father, who suffered from a psychological condition, was genuinely sorry.
Duncan Sarkies' second novel, The Demolition of the Century, might not deal with the exact details of this example of life, but the former Dunedin, now Wellington-based author does examine the essence of relationships, their long-lasting effects and, ultimately, celebrates a generosity of spirit.
At its core, The Demolition of the Century is a reflection on family, the title's reference to the destruction of the Dunedin cinema of the same name a metaphor for an attempt to erase the past, or come to terms with it.
Sarkies' unrelated follow-up to 2008 debut novel Two Little Boys starts off at a rapid-fire pace.
Protagonist Tom Spotswood is a horse racing industry insurance investigator who finds himself chasing (and being chased by) a range of shady characters after he delves into a scam involving a dead stallion. Having already exited a marriage, Tom finds his career is now under threat.
Throw into the mix his search for only son Frank and Tom's life seems more than a little stressful. So too is the existence of Spud, a demolition man who is using his wrecking ball to bring down a beautiful movie theatre.
The fact The Demolition of the Century benefits greatly from a shift of plot two-thirds of the way through precludes any more discussion of narrative, lest it be spoiled for potential readers. Better to focus instead on its key themes: trust, reconciliation, memory and the blurring of reality.
Sarkies deals with all this deftly. By sprinkling the occasional clue within the early chapters, he offers the possibility of a rewarding second read at some point, too.
Early on, Sarkies briefly mentions a grandmother who advises that it is best to use ''and'' rather than ''but'' when describing a person's attributes.
Take, for instance, the difference between, ''Tom's a nice man, but he's an alcoholic'' and ''Tom's a nice man and he's an alcoholic''. Subtle, but important.
It is this flair for shades of grey that makes Sarkies' effort particularly enjoyable. The oft-present black humour notwithstanding, he adopts a between-the-lines approach that allows readers to frame characters through the lens of their own life experiences.
Shane Gilchrist is an ODT feature writer in Alexandra.
