Matt was Tom's best friend in Mumbilli before the accident. Their friendship continues after Tom moves, but Tom feels unable and unwilling to truly connect with Matt given their history. They played together on the St. John's rugby team and Matt was instrumental in getting help for Daniel, Fin, Luke, and Nicole after the accident. He's the only friend who tries to remain close with Tom and the Brennan family as a whole in the aftermath. After Tom moves to Coghill Matt emails him regularly, even when Tom doesn't reply. Tom calls Matt twice; the first time he's unable to bring himself to truly open up to Matt, while the second time, it's implied that they actually begin to repair their relationship. Matt is distraught when one of his teammates yells "killer" at Tom during the match between St. John's and Bennie's.
Matt Quotes in The Story of Tom Brennan
The The Story of Tom Brennan quotes below are all either spoken by Matt or refer to Matt. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Random House edition of The Story of Tom Brennan published in 2005.
Chapter Six
Quotes
Somewhere in the bush, hard to say how far away, I could hear the painful sound of groaning, retching sobs. It was Daniel but I couldn't go to him. Part of me wanted to, the other part didn't. I knew I had to stay with Fin, stay with the mess Daniel had made. Yet a voice inside of me was screaming, "He's alive, he's alive. Daniel's alive."
Related Characters:
Tom Brennan (speaker), Daniel Brennan, Fin, Matt, Luke, Nicole, Snorter
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Nine
Quotes
There were so many times when I just couldn't believe this'd happened, happened to me, to my family. This sort of thing happened to other people, not the Brennans.
Related Characters:
Tom Brennan (speaker), Daniel Brennan, Matt, Snorter
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Matt Character Timeline in The Story of Tom Brennan
The timeline below shows where the character Matt appears in The Story of Tom Brennan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
...their cousin Fin would start a game of cricket while Dad grilled. In the afternoon, Matt, Snorter, Luke, and other friends would show up and the cricket game would become the...
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Chapter Three
...of the accident, Tom arrived at the scout hall late, as he had to convince Matt and Snorter that they should actually go. When they arrived, Daniel and Luke were already...
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...Daniel said he was going to kill "him." From the hall, Tom heard shouting and Matt yelling for him. Tom and Claire ran into the hall to see a circle of...
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...Claire passed Tom, she yelled that Fin was with Daniel. A minute later, Snorter and Matt pulled over next to Tom. They said that Fin, the only sober one, would likely...
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Chapter Four
...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...
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...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...
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Tom had mailed Matt a letter the night before he left, telling him what happened. They never got to...
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Chapter Six
...Fin was lucky to have him there. Tom thinks of the lady who counseled him, Matt, and Snorter. She said to let the memories in and then move on. Tom doesn't...
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...night of the accident, Tom yelled for Daniel as Daniel ran away from the car. Matt redirected Tom to the others in the car as Snorter drove away to find cell...
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...policemen coaxed Daniel out of the woods and they left, and someone came to take Matt and Snorter as well. Tom kept telling Fin that it would be okay.
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...familiar before reflecting that rugby tryouts are also taking place next week at St. John's. Matt has continued to email Tom, even though Tom hasn't replied. Rory and Tom discuss tryouts...
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Chapter Seven
...of the day picking up and putting down the phone. Finally, Tom makes himself dial Matt's number. Matt's mum picks up and her voice makes Tom want to cry. She greets...
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Matt asks if Tom has read his emails, and Tom pretends that he does. Tom turns...
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...police station. Kylie and Tom sat at home, and Tom could still smell Fin's blood. Matt came over for a while after giving his statement to the police. Tom felt panicky...
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...Mum was angry with everyone, while Daniel cried and threw up. They only ate because Matt's mother kept bringing over casseroles. Dad and Brendan attended Nicole and Luke's funerals. The day...
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Chapter Nine
After the accident, it was several weeks before Tom and Kylie went back to school. Matt and Snorter stuck close to Tom and Tom couldn't shake the belief that this sort...
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...hearing, almost everyone stopped visiting the Brennans. Tom spent a lot of his time at Matt's but avoided seeing Snorter, as Snorter was still struggling to process the accident. Owen came...
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In the courtroom, Tom could see Nicole and Luke's parents, as well as Matt and his mother. They all sat and listened to Judge Williams talk about Daniel's depressed...
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Chapter Sixteen
...weekend with St. John's. Tom is dreading it; he knows he'll need to talk to Matt before the game. He tells Rory that some of the guys are still his friends,...
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Chapter Seventeen
...the sheds and cleans. He checks his email and feels cowardly for not replying to Matt. He knows, however, that Matt will forgive him, and they'll be able to pick their...
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...and then Tonelli insists that the team needs to support Tom. Out on the field, Matt gives Tom a thumbs-up, but Tom can barely smile back. By the midpoint, St. John's...
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...here for picnics. Tom thanks her for getting him off the field and explains that Matt was the St. John's player trying to talk to him. He puts his hands over...
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Chapter Eighteen
...She encourages Tom to actually try to talk to Fin, citing Tom's phone call to Matt as proof that he's capable of having tough conversations. Tom is somewhat annoyed as they...
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...smelled. Tom says he's nervous about next week, since it's the anniversary of the accident. Matt told him that Mumbilli is having a service at the site of the accident, and...
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