Family
The Story of Tom Brennan is, at its heart, a study of family dynamics in times of crisis. When seventeen-year-old Tom's older brother Daniel chooses to drive drunk and gets in a car accident, killing two classmates and permanently paralyzing his cousin Fin, the Brennans struggle to deal with the fallout both within their hometown of Mumbilli and within the family itself. As time passes and the Brennans begin to put their lives…
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Friendship and Teamwork
When Tom and his family first move from Mumbilli to Coghill, Tom's initial goal is to remain as anonymous as possible and avoid making too many connections. He's unsure if he even wants to keep playing rugby now that Daniel is in jail, as he's convinced that playing won't be the same without his older brother beside him. As Tom begins to integrate in his new home, however, and chooses to be involved with the…
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Identity and Independence
For most of Tom's life, he lived in the shadow of his older brother Daniel. Despite being only a year and a half apart in age, Daniel overshadowed his little brother in everything—in flashbacks, Tom describes Daniel as bigger, handsomer, and more attractive to girls. However, in the aftermath of the accident, Tom is forced to look closely at his relationship with his brother and the way in which Daniel's supposed superiority caused Tom…
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Debt and Redemption
Even as life begins to move on in the months after the accident, the Brennan family continues to feel bogged down by the massive debts they feel they owe everyone around them—from Luke and Nicole's grieving parents, to Aunty Kath and Fin. Through the healing process and in particular through Daniel's journey, the novel sharply interrogates what redemption means for someone who, like Daniel, has taken lives because of his own carelessness…
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