Where's Daddy?

by William Inge

As Richard Watts, Jr. comments, "Although Mr. Inge is fair and sympathetic to both sides, it would seem that he inclines slightly to the cause of the older generation. This, however, is one of the deftest touches in his treatment of the subject. For maturity, as it may be described at least technically, is represented by two unlikely prospects, a foolish, innocent and bewildered mother and a matronly bachelor unhampered by any illusions of masculinity. Yet how likeable both of them turn out to be! They are confronted by quite a problem, too. A boy, who happens to have been adopted by the bachelor, and a girl, who is the unworldly lady's daughter, have got themselves married and are about to have a child, and the thought alarms the young pair. The boy wants his freedom and the girl wants to prove her independence by giving it to him, and they have agreed to send the baby to an institution for adoption when it arrives. And it arrives unexpectedly, and amid great alarm Mr. Inge is good-natured but he is also sharp and can be witty. Instead of getting in the way of the seriousness of his point of view, the humor emphasizes it The foolishness of the girl's naive, mother is made honestly moving, the sentimental reconciliation of the boy and girl is believably touching, and the scenes of the peculiar bachelors are downright hilarious."

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Dramas of American playwright William Motter Inge explored the expectations and fears of small-town Midwesterners; his play Picnic (1953) won a Pulitzer Prize.

Works of this novelist typically feature solitary protagonists, encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, Broadway produced a memorable string. Inge rooted his portraits of life and settings in the heartland.