The book begins with the narrator Danny telling us about his friend Luke Kennedy who lives across the road with his mum and whose dad left them just before Luke’s birthday.
No one is home when Danny arrives back and he is in the house alone. We are told about his brother Pete, who was supposed to come home for the summer from university but went travelling around Europe with his friends instead. This angered Danny’s dad because he was supposed to work in his shop.
Danny tells us that he really likes his brother, Pete and that he isn’t like other big brothers. Danny then starts to realise that something is wrong, as there is still no one home.
His dad eventually arrives home and he is also surprised that Danny’s mother isn’t home. He wants to find her but we are told that mum didn’t come home one night before and dad rang all her friends and created a big fuss when his mum was simply out for a drink with a friend. He tells us that this caused a big row between the two of them.
Danny goes up to his room, worried about his mum and he tells us that he can see Mrs Kennedy’s room window from his room and how one night he had seen her in her bra. He’d been very embarrassed by that.
Finally he heard a car in the driveway, but he knew that it wasn’t his mum’s. His mum appeared at the door with a policeman and a policewoman by her side.
The chapter ends with Danny knowing something bad has happened.
Questions:
- Where did Luke’s father take him to make up for leaving?
- When did Danny’s father start getting worried?
- Why did he not ring many of her friends?
- What did Danny’s mother call her car?
- How did Danny know something was wrong when his mother came home?
- What is your impression of Danny from what you have read? Explain your answer with reference to the text.
Enda's English Notes 