Tara's family is, in my opinion, dysfunctional. What she had to go through in her childhood is unimaginable. Her parents' nonchalance towards the violence and abuse that she suffered from is cruel. But, the more I read, the more I understood her father's way of living. Gene is a terrified man who finds comfort in his faith. Tara discovers at school that he probably suffers from bipolarity maybe even schizophrenia, and that is terrible. When Tara's about to leave for Cambridge he says "I've got a thousand gallons of fuel buried in the field. I can fetch you when the End comes, bring you home…