The Story of Tom Brennan: Chapter Four Summary & Analysis

Gran and Pa's property is called "Saint Marguerite Bourgeoy's" after Saint Marguerite, one of Gran's favorite saints. Daniel used to call it "Saint Marge's Boogie." Pa left his onsite tractor repair business to Brendan after he died, and now Jonny works there too. The sheds where they work stand where Gran's beloved chicken coop once was, and Mum believes Gran never got over having to get rid of the chickens. According to Daniel, the business moved from town because Pa lost the town property betting on racehorses. Tom thinks that Pa only took Daniel to the races, even though Fin was the one who truly loved horses. Thinking about it and the fact that things will never be the same again, Tom feels as though he's being sucked into a black tunnel.

The night of the accident, Tom looked at the sky as he walked home. He heard a car coming, blaring the horn. He figured it was Daniel, but it was Snorter and Matt. Matt was yelling for Tom to come; Daniel crashed the car. In the present, Tom tries to clear his head of the thoughts as he walks out to the sheds. He sees Jonny's boots poking out from under a tractor, and Jonny sends Tom into Brendan's house to check email.

Tom hears the shower going so he lets himself in. Brendan’s house isn't what Tom remembers; there are empty bottles and cans everywhere and the place is a mess. Tom thinks that despite the fact that he spent so much time here as a kid, he doesn't know much about Brendan save for the fact that he's gay. He remembers one Christmas that Brendan brought a girl for lunch and overhearing Mum and Aunty Kath giggling about whether Gran prays to a patron saint of gay sons.

Tom thinks Daniel truly knew Brendan; the two spent a lot of time together. He notices a photo on Brendan's desk of Mum, Brendan, and Aunty Kath fishing as kids. He then notices another frame turned over; it holds a photo of Daniel and Mum one Christmas. Tom thinks of how close Mum and Daniel were as Brendan comes out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. He mentions that the photo of Mum and Daniel is one of his favorites, and he and Tom painfully discuss how that Christmas was great.

Brendan tries to talk to Tom about school and give him the "time is a healer" talk, but Tom cuts him off and asks to check his email. Tom thinks that he only found out a week ago that his family was leaving Mumbilli. He'd been so numb that he hadn't thought much of Dad packing boxes, but figured the need to go was obvious after someone left graffiti on their garage for the third time. Tom had spent much of his time at Matt's house. Then, Dad came home one night and told Tom and Kylie that they needed to pack and not tell anyone they're leaving.

Tom had mailed Matt a letter the night before he left, telling him what happened. They never got to say goodbye. This bothers Tom, as Matt was the only one who stood by him after the accident. Snorter had shut down and wouldn't talk about anything. When Tom logs into his email, he's relieved to find an email from Matt. Matt writes that he's not sure what he's going to do with himself on Australia Day, but he understands why the Brennans left. He asks Tom to say hi to Fin for him and mentions that Mumbilli is teeming with rumors.

Tom soaks up the words and then starts a reply. He writes that he has to repeat Year Eleven and that he's going to St. Benedict's in Coghill. He realizes the phone is ringing but lets it go to voicemail. It's Aunty Kath, updating Brendan on Fin and asking about the plan for the weekend. This makes Tom think of Fin. He stares at his email, feeling ashamed, and deletes it. He thinks he hasn't seen Fin in about a month, as seeing him is very difficult. Fin seems to get thinner and bitterer every time.

The last time that Tom saw Fin, the hospital air conditioning was broken. Fin lay in bed with no sheet over him, so Tom could see his skinny, wasted legs. They'd talked about what was going on in Mumbilli, and Tom mentioned that Snorter wrecked his trail bike again. When Fin said that Snorter's wreck could've been worse, Tom thought that every topic of conversation seems to lead back to the spinal unit, which is filled with daredevils like Snorter who take risks and get in accidents. Fin wasn't a daredevil; he just made the one bad decision to trust Daniel.

Later, Gran cooks lamb fry, which smells awful. Tom decides to eat cereal. When Dad notices Tom looking for cereal, he winks and says it's all gone. Tom mutters and asks where Kylie is. Dad says she's out with a new friend, Brianna Henderson. Gran whispers that Brianna's family is Anglican, but they seem nice. She and Dad try to give Tom a pep talk about making friends, and Gran specifically suggests that Tom make friends with Simon Whelan. Tom thinks that Simon is disgusting; he creepily watches younger girls and doesn't seem nice at all.

Gran asks Dad about his plans to take Mum and see Daniel the next day. She suggests that Tom go with Brendan to see Fin and Aunty Kath, and then mentions that Fin will move to a rehab facility soon. She says that there's some movement in his shoulder but he's still very depressed. Tom thinks that Gran must enjoy guilt-tripping his family and clears the plates to get away from her.