I was quite surprised by the number of romantic vignettes in Dan Clowes' Ice Haven, though not surprised at how dysfunctional they all were. Just about every character is faced with some sort of relationship issue: Violet and Charles' parents divorce, Violet marries and subsequently loses Penrod, Charles harbors feelings for his step-sister, Carmichael has a crush on Paula, Mr. and Mrs. Ames are constantly on the outs, Vida and Kim Lee share a brief moment of celebratory lust, Julie "Patheticstein" is pregnant. There are no traditional romantic elements, and I would never categorize Ice Haven as a story about love, but it is definitely one of the more prevalent themes throughout the book.
I found Violet's romantic relationships to be the most interesting in the book. She is a young girl who is clearly very confused about the concept of love (her mother does not seem to be a very good role-model), yet desperately wants Penrod to love her and is willing to do anything to make it happen. However, the only person who cares about her the way she wants is her step-brother, Charles. She cares about him in a different way, and it is perhaps one of the most hearbreaking lines in the book: "I hope someday I grow up and marry a guy just like you" (81.5). Nevertheless, Violet does undergo a major transformation due to her failed marriage to Penrod and, by the end of the book, there is a glimmer of hope that things will be better for her in Hawaii.
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Even Harry Naybors appears to be seeing some action. Mrs. Ames' barette shows up in his apartment. Wonder if Mr. Ames puts it all together when he then finds a very familiar pair of underware at Officer Kaufman's. Some detective!
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