Dominick Gordon

Quick Facts

• Role: Principal of Pirriwee Public School; widower; devoted father to Jasper
• First appearance: Finds Alice collapsed on the footpath and calmly takes charge
• Key relationships: Romantic partner to Alice Love; counterpoint and rival to Nick Love; brother to Maggie

Who He Is

At first, Dominick Gordon is a stranger to Alice—proof that ten years have slipped by and reshaped her life without her consent. As the gentle, steady school principal who steps into Alice’s newly separated world, he embodies a possible future: calmer, kinder, and less combustible than her marriage. His presence nudges the novel’s questions about how people change and what they owe to their former selves, making him a quiet engine in the book’s meditation on Forgiveness and Second Chances.

Personality & Traits

Dominick’s character is defined less by dramatic speeches than by small, careful acts. He is a man of soft authority: practical, unshowy, and attentive. That steadiness becomes a mirror for Alice, who must decide whether the person she became over the missing decade is someone she wants to remain.

• Kind and steady: He responds to Alice’s collapse with calm care and continues to look after her during chaotic school events, modeling reliability rather than grand romance.
• Awkward, endearingly nerdy: His “absurd little boxing move” and geeky jokes undercut his authority with self-deprecation, contrasting with Nick’s quick, sarcastic charm.
• Dedicated father: Playful, affectionate scenes with Jasper reveal warmth and patience, qualities that make him a compelling partner for a woman relearning how to mother.
• Respectful partner: He listens, values Alice’s work at school, and treats her as an equal—filling a respect-shaped gap she feels in her marriage.
• Vulnerable and brave: A widower, he carries unspoken grief; as [Maggie] reveals, he’s “sort of vulnerable,” which lends tenderness to his careful pursuit of Alice.
• Unassuming presence: Physically “ordinary,” very tall and lanky, with “liquid chocolate” eyes and a “lovely smile”—a look that matches his warm, unpretentious nature.

Character Journey

Dominick doesn’t change dramatically; instead, he changes the space around Alice. Initially, he is bewilderment incarnate—a boyfriend she cannot remember. As she reconciles the joyful 29-year-old newlywed she recalls with the competent, frowning 39-year-old she has become, Dominick offers a vision of a gentler life. He is the baseline against which Alice measures her reawakening love for Nick: safety and serenity on one side, history and volatility on the other. Ultimately, choosing not to stay with Dominick isn’t a rejection of his goodness but an embrace of a self that includes mistakes, anger, and growth—key to the novel’s exploration of the Transformation of the Self.

Key Relationships

• Alice Love: As Alice’s boyfriend, Dominick is besotted with the capable “Class Mum” version of her. To the amnesiac Alice, he is reassuring and kind but also a sign of how far she drifted from her old life, sharpening the novel’s contrast between tentative new love and the complex, weathered bond of marriage—central to The Evolution of Love and Marriage.
• Nick Love: Dominick and Nick are polite but strained rivals, their awkward interactions charged by shifting power: Nick’s intimacy with Alice versus Dominick’s institutional authority at school. During disciplinary moments—especially involving Madison Love—Dominick’s professionalism highlights the ethical boundaries he maintains even while personally invested.
• Jasper Gordon: Dominick’s affectionate, playful parenting with Jasper offers Alice a glimpse of a gentle domesticity. Their bond underscores Dominick’s capacity for care and helps explain his draw: he doesn’t just love Alice; he models the kind of family calm she craves.

Defining Moments

Dominick’s big scenes are quiet pivot points—moments that steady the narrative and sharpen Alice’s choices.

• Finding Alice on the street: He’s first on the scene, practical and warm. Why it matters: Establishes him as safe harbor, setting a tone of care instead of drama.
• The first kiss after amnesia (balloon-blowing at school): He kisses Alice, witnessed by Jasper. Why it matters: Confirms that this “new life” is real and complicated—Alice must confront not just memory loss but a living relationship.
• Madison’s suspension: As principal, he balances fairness with personal ties during a fraught incident. Why it matters: Shows his ethical backbone and the tension between his role and his feelings for Alice and Nick.
• Mega Meringue Day: Amid chaos, he is a quiet, supportive presence; when Alice faints, both men rush to her. Why it matters: A visual tableau of Alice’s split path—calm constancy versus combustible history.

Essential Quotes

“You’ve lost your frown. You always have this little frown right here, as if you’re concentrating, or worrying about something, even when you’re happy. Now it’s . . .” This line reveals how closely Dominick observes the 39-year-old Alice—the competent, anxious woman he fell for. His noticing is gentle, not controlling, and underscores the intimacy built in the missing decade while reminding Alice that she has, in fact, changed.

“I’ll talk to you later.” On its face, this is a brush-off; in context, it’s restraint. As principal, Dominick navigates public boundaries and private ties, signaling his commitment to professionalism even when personal stakes run high.

“I’m right here for you.” Dominick’s love language is presence. Rather than making promises he can’t keep, he offers steadiness and proximity—an anchor Alice can hold while she sorts through competing versions of her life.

“I was surprised to see Madison here. I thought you might have kept her at home, in light of . . . the incident.” This careful phrasing shows his tact and duty colliding: he must protect students and uphold policy without alienating Alice. The ellipsis captures his discomfort, emphasizing his preference for gentle truth over blunt force.