ATDTDA (18): Gaga, 514

[Paul Nightingale]

Dally and Bria, who asks about Root, "who always drinks straight through
dinnertime ." etc. This indicates that Root frequently dines with Kit, in
the process making an impact of sorts on Bria. One can infer that Kit gives
Root a pass into first class and then leaves him to get on with the serious
business of drinking alone. Dally has moved from Katie, to Erlys, to Bria.
Discussing Kit with her mother she offered Bria as a rival for his
attentions (510); here, she confirms that, in New York, she "couldn't get
him out of my head then, and now here he is again", somewhat different to
the cagey response she gave Erlys. Here, the sisters wonder who is
chaperoning whom, that is, which one extends parental authority: their
relationship in this section emphasises the absence of Erlys in particular
(Luca is absent throughout, seen at a distance, perhaps, but uninvolved).